Never Ever in a Million Years
by Yuffie-Girl
Summary: As Lucca struggles to come to terms with her feelings for Crono, she also finds herself intrigued by a certain Dark Wizard... Lucca/Magus *Now complete* And heeeeeeeeeeere's the epilogue!
1. Happy Times on Death Peak

Disclaimer: I do not own the plot, characters, or any elements of Chrono Trigger. Think about it: if I did, would I be writing this?! And no, I'm not planning to make profit of any kind from this story. It probably wouldn't sell anyway. 

Category: Romance/Angst

Rating: PG-13 (Just to be safe; I'm not too sure what's coming up in later chapters yet.)

It may not appear that way at first, but this story is most definitely an AU. Not only are the story's events things that would never, ever happen (even though I've tried to keep events from the game as intact as possible), but sometimes some of the characters are a little off-the-wall.

Lucca couldn't have felt more nervous as she trudged doggedly up the snow-laden slopes of Death Peak. Maybe it was because that last Lavos Spawn had been a bastard, nearly Koing her with one of its intense, firey rays. Maybe it was because of the mountain's subzero weather and harsh winds, both of which could put her or any one of her companions permanently out of commission. But maybe, just maybe, we can attribute her anxiety to the fact that the revival of her best friend, which they were going to attempt at Death Peak's summit, could go wrong in any way and if that were the case, she could kiss any possibility of ever seeing her friend goodbye. "Oh, Crono," she thought, wiping snow from her glasses with a gloved hand, "if we can't get you back I really don't know if I could stand it! I should have had the courage to tell you even back before this all started!"

Her depressed thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Frog spotted a small niche carved in the mountainside and called for a quick halt. Most of the group gladly agreed. The climb (not to mention the hideous Lavos Spawn they had to fight so that they could push through) had taken its toll on everyone, especially Ayla, who hitherto did not know that such relentless, freezing weather could even exist. The band of adventurers huddled around a blazing fire that Lucca herself had created, all of them gloomy and guilt-ridden ever since Crono's sacrifice. They knew that the only hope of bringing their friend back was the small purple egg that rested in Marle's pocket. There was no way in hell that they would ever find a previously undiscovered Gate that would take them to a close enough point in time to save him. No, if they didn't revive Crono now, he'd be gone for good.

"Well, is anyone hungry?" inquired Marle in a tired voice. "I've still got some of that Jerky in my pack…"

Lucca, Frog, and Ayla were not hungry. Robo just needed a few minutes to reenergize his circuitry and then he'd be in top shape. Magus merely hmphed about "morons starving themselves for idiotic reasons." He stood up and tightened the clasp of his cloak. "The summit cannot be much farther. Come, let's go."

Lucca kicked snow over the fire and then followed the others up the treacherous path. She let her mind float into the previous dull stupor of before, thinking intense waves of unconnected thoughts. She was really too tired to be rational, or to string anything together worth thinking about, despite her brilliant mind.

Something close to an hour passed, each step up the mountain heavier than the last. Finally, Magus, who seemed to be the unofficial leader of their band, told everyone to stop. Lucca looked up, snapping out of her thoughts, and took in the scene. 

They were at the narrow, flat summit of the mountain. Bitter, acidic snow completely covered the ground and everyone's feet, going halfway up to their knees (well, mid-thigh, actually, in Frog's case). The relentless snowstorm that had plagued them the entire way up had quieted, and now the blood-red sun peeked through the dark, polluted clouds, revealing the desolate, lifeless terrain beyond. The actual only sign of life, besides the group of time-travelers, of course, was a small, stunted tree nearby, which was painfully struggling to live in this dead world, and to be honest, barely succeeding. Lucca was surprised that such a fragile thing could even exist in such a murderous place. 

"Hmpfh, Dendadorite," Magus declared in his haughty, arrogant manner. He was holding a small gray rock with a flakey quality in his gloved hand. "I should have known. this place must have once been part of the Denadoro Mountains. That's why the old man told us to use the Chrono Trigger here. The power of the Masamune must still linger here, even after almost two thousand years…."

Frog stepped in front of him angrily. "Must you prattle on? Our friend is DEAD, you pig!"

Ever since Magus had joined their party, the two had naturally been trying to pick fights with each other, day and night. These never actually resulted in violence, (perhaps some of them could have had someone else not been there to break them up) since, after all, were now allied together for the cause against Lavos and they were now forced to be halfway civil to one another. But there were still definitely major issues to be sorted out between the two. Magus's eyes flashed and he started bearing down on Frog, looking darn well ready to blast the whole of Death Peak apart.

Marle quickly ran in between them and reprimanded in a loud voice, "Look, we came here to revive Crono, not to beat the living crap out of each other. Frog, I know you hate his guts, but he's our ally now, and allies don't fight. Magus, here." She quickly pulled the Time Egg out of her pocket, her eyes now brimming with tears. "Here's the Time Egg. Do what you have to do to get him back."

Lucca had not heard any of the previous exchange, losing interest sometime during the "Denadoro Mountain" part. She was just too nervous to concentrate in any way. Looking now through hooded eyes, she watched as Magus, now holding the Time Egg, walked slowly over to the tree. he held the Chrono Trigger aloft in the air and slowly began to chant an incantation in some forgotten language.

Time seemed to stand still. Lucca felt as if her heart would suddenly jump up into her mouth. "This is it," she thought. "If he comes back, I'm gonna take that chance. I'm gonna tell him. Whatever happens then, happens. And if he doesn't-well-then I've gotta stay strong and help the others defeat Lavos without him." She looked around at the others. Marle seemed to be praying. Ayla stared at Magus with a look of intense concentration in her eyes. Lucca braced herself for the results to come. No matter what may happen, she knew that she would be relieved when this ordeal was over. 

Magus abruptly finished chanting the spell. He then stared up at the sky, clearly waiting for results. Half a minute passed…then a minute…then two minutes. 

Frog, in the meantime, had seemed to come to some sort of conclusion. "What treachery, Magus! Obviously thou hast done something to render the Chrono Trigger worthless! For that you must taste my steel!" He drew his sword, the Masamune, and began to charge at Magus. Suddenly, though, before Magus could react, the Chrono Trigger began to glow a strange purple shade. It slowly rose into the air, and with a flash of bright light, violently exploded. A gigantic red Gate instantly formed a few feet above the ground. Frog stopped dead in his tracks, mouth opened wide in awe. 

Magus shouted to the rest of the group, "Hurry! The Crono Clone!" Robo, who was carrying it, quickly ran over, and him, Magus, and Frog disappeared inside the Gate. It closed behind them, leaving Marle, Ayla, and Lucca in complete silence. 

The next two minutes were the longest in Lucca's life. And they were also two minutes of complete uncertainty. Not only was there the possibility of not seeing Crono again, there was also the possibility of not seeing Frog, Robo, or Magus again, either (though she personally concluded that Magus wasn't exactly a big loss; she still had her doubts about even considering the dark wizard as an ally). The three girls sat still on the mountain for what seemed to be an infinite amount of time, not daring to move, cry, or even breathe.

Finally, after what seemed like a millennia, the Red Gate reappeared, and the three tumbled out in a big heap. Robo quickly managed to stand and explained the situation in just five words, "The procedure has been completed."

Frog added, shaking the snow from out of his cloak, "Aye, if all has went well he should be back with us soon."

"You're right!" squealed Marle excitedly, apparently catching sight of something and instantly being back to her bubbly, happy self, "Look!"

Lucca caught sight of the slowly descending light beam that she was pointing at. A few seconds later, she found herself looking at Crono, who had an expression of shock written all over his face. He sat with his back propped up against the tree, looking from side to side at his companions, all of whom had equally amazed expressions on their faces. "W…what HAPPENED?" He managed to choke out those two words, but apparently everyone was even more shocked than he was (except for perhaps Magus, who probably wouldn't have been surprised even if Frog suddenly started coming up to him and giving him gifts), because they couldn't even form one word to answer his question.

Suddenly Marle, who had (kind of) regained her composure, cried out joyfully, "Oh, Crono! We all missed you so much! You wouldn't believe what happened! But first, I-" With a sinking feeling, Lucca watched as Marle ran right up to him and kissed him full on the lips. And also watched him kiss her right back. Lucca felt as if she were a balloon that had been suddenly popped by a needle. With a clenched fist she realized that she couldn't tell him after all. And never would be able to. 

A/N: One chapter down! I really hope you liked it! Things might seem a little gloomy now, but they'll definitely brighten up later. I'm new to this sort of thing, so please remember to review this and also give me some feedback and suggestions (I haven't really written much yet.)


	2. Engine Trouble

Never Ever in a Million Years- Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own any elements of the game Chrono Trigger: the characters, the story, the items---you name it, I don't have it. 

A few days had passed since Crono had been revived. Things were slowly going back to normal. "Or as normal as it can get, considering that my heart's been broken due to some whiny, spoiled princess that can't tell a hydrometer from a speedometer," Lucca thought haughtily, not even caring how incredibly dorky that last thought had sounded. She was a geek, and that's all there was to it. If people didn't accept that, then that was THEIR problem.

The band of time-travelers were now constantly hopping from era to era, typing up loose ends and attempting to acquire legendary items that would make their final battle with Lavos easier. And their list of tasks was ever growing. "And I was grumbling about how incredibly busy I was when I helped Dad at the Millennial Fair," Lucca thought incredulously, remembering the fateful day when it had all started. Personally, though, she didn't mind the stress. Her constant state of either hurriedness or fatigue worked like a charm to keep her mind off…that. Even so, it got tough sometimes. Now that they had the Epoch, the Space-Time Continuum Theory didn't apply to them anymore, and everyone, as long as they fit in the Epoch, could travel together. This mean that Lucca had to endure (or pretend not to see) Crono and Marle's blatant displays of affection, which occurred all day, any time of day. Now that their so-called "newly found love" had "blossomed", they made any excuse to touch one another. Lucca inwardly groaned at the memory, glad that their current seating arrangement kept them apart for the time being.

Right now all seven members of the group were uncomfortably crammed into the Epoch, flying somewhere over 600 A.D. They were attempting to find the Rainbow Shell, which was believed to be a prime ingredient for some kick-ass, magic-blocking armor. At the current moment they were trying to locate Choras Village, which was said to be Toma the Adventurer's hometown. He was trying to find the shell too, and even though he had had no leads on it the last time they had seen him, perhaps there was a chance he did now. He had given up looking on the Zenan Continent, at any rate, since every bar they had looked in over there had been totally devoid of him.

The journey towards Choras was long, tedious, and dull. Lucca was beginning to feel a serious lack of personal space. Being trapped in the seat between bulky Crono and space-consuming Robo, who wouldn't be? Although being trapped against Crono had its merits, she had to admit…From her she could smell his cologne, feel his warm breath tickle her body…

Lucca's thoughts suddenly snapped to the present all of a sudden when one of the Epoch's rear rockets unceremoniously exploded, causing everyone to jump in alarm. As the time machine quickly began to plummet towards a large forest below, Crono summed up the situation in just two words, "Oh, shit!"

By that time half the group was screaming in terror, fully expecting to die on impact once they hit the ground. Lucca racked her brains to think of something, ANYTHING that might keep that from happening. When it was almost too late…

"CRONO! The throttle! THE THROTTLE!"

Crono, who was currently slamming the brakes in an attempt to slow the Epoch down, immediately understood. When they were literally under forty feet from the ground, he quickly pulled it out, causing the vehicle's front end to nose upwards. Thus, only the fan-like tail end would hit the ground, and everyone's lives would be saved. But even so, there might be repercussions…

CRRRRRRRAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!!!! The Epochs' rear end made contact with a huge tree with a sickening crunch. That was enough, combined with Crono's brake-tapping, to slow it down completely, but then again, the fact that they were still in the air was to be dealt with. They hung in the air for just a split second, and then...BOOM. The Epoch finally hit the ground, near-missing two nearby rowans in the process.

For a minute, Lucca thought she was dead. But no…Marle's display of ear-splitting shrieks and the sounds of everyone coughing from the unsettled dust were enough to disprove THAT theory. She opened her eyes and looked around in wonder. Yes, everyone was there, alive and well…but how??

"We're all alive," she said out loud, "but my question is, HOW?! I'm amazed! If none of us died from the actual impact, then SURELY some of us would have been thrown outside!"

"Well, it was for times like these that Belthasar added seatbelts," said Crono with a grin (albeit a very shaky one), unbuckling his, "But really though, are you guys sure that nobody's hurt? 'Cause even I find it hard to believe that _I'm _still in one piece!"

"Who cares?" called a cramped-sounded Magus from the back seat. "Let's just get OUT of here!"

"Have you no manners?" Frog pitched at him with only the utmost loathing. "Dost thou care about ANYONE'S well-being?"

"Hell no!" was the reply. "I just need allies in the battle against Lavos!"

Oh, crap. It sounded like about the hundredth fight between Frog and Magus was about to begin. These usually resulted in Lucca learning some colorful new medieval words, and, at the most inopportune times, near-violence. Marle, who was sitting in between the hot-tempered duo, cowered down, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

"Frog! Magus!" screeched Ayla at an unearthly volume. "Shut up! NOW! This no time! Now we get out of Epoch, see what happen!"

Crono shrugged. "She has a point." Pressing a green button on the control panel, he caused the Epoch's outer dome, a clear yet resilient material, to pop back. Everyone climbed out, looking at their surroundings, still shaken by the previous events. 

Lucca had never seen nor heard of this forest before. It was mostly filled with evergreens and beeches, and had kind of a dark, unfriendly aura to it. She was guessing that their current position was somewhere close to Choras Village, but this was no time to ponder. if the Epoch turned out to be unfixable, then they wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Leaning on Crono's shoulder unsteadily, Marle still seemed decidedly queasy. "I thought we were goners," she moaned. "Oh, Crono, it was such a good thing that we revived you when we did."

Crono smiled. "It really wasn't me at all. Save you thanks for Lucca. She was the one who told me to pull the throttle."

"'Tis a good thing that she has such knowledge of mechanics," agreed Frog. "But the Epoch is only half our problem. Wherefore ART we?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Crono. "But I'd say probably the middle of nowhere."

Robo suddenly beeped. "Our current coordinates are 45 East, 20 South. My guess is that we are currently on the Choras Continent."

Marle sighed. "Well, I'm glad that we at least did SOMETHING right."

At this moment, Lucca came back. She had done a round trip around the Epoch to try and get an estimate on the damage. "Things aren't too good," she explained. "Two of the back rockets and the left wing are damaged. My guess is that they overheated and couldn't withstand the pressure anymore. They weren't built that strongly enough to fly for extended periods of time."

Crono rolled his eyes. "Well, how can you NOT take a trip in this thing without taking five years?! It's slow to begin with! Geez…leave it to Dalton to screw things up."

"But what about the time machine?" Marle piped up. "Is that okay?"

"As far as I know, that's fine. But what good is it if we're restricted to only the Choras Continent with it?" Lucca rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I guess that means I'll have to get the wings up and running so we can fly again. Belthasar put a servicing kit in back, so I guess repairing won't be TOO much trouble. If I can get it fixed, then we'll head back to my house at Truce and make something more permanent so it doesn't happen again. I believe that if I work at a fast enough pace, I should have it done by tomorrow morning." She was tired, but the others, who knew nothing about machines, were counting on her. She turned on her heel and started to head towards the Epoch, but…

Crono's hand firmly placed itself on her shoulder. "Lucca, look. I know you're exhausted. Having a near-death experience DOES do that to you. Let's just set up camp and wait till tomorrow morning. Then we'll all give you a hand and get the job done faster."

Lucca nodded gratefully. An evening of unbroken sleep and relaxation WAS hard to come by these days, even if that sleep was on the cold, hard ground and the relaxation might be marred a little by pesky insects. During their journey, they had camped quite a few times and at this point, she was well used to it and knew the advantage of the few pit stops that they might have.

As Lucca followed the group to find a good place to camp, she realized that even if she couldn't have him, she had fallen for a great guy. And that made it all the worse.

A/N: I know, I know, not much action here, but I do have a reason for the Epoch popping a rocket. You'll see the bigger picture in a few chapters. As for the mystery guy, you'll see that too. I'm not planning any original characters, so there's really only four people: it's either Lucca gets Crono back, or it's Robo (not likely), or Frog, or Magus. 


	3. A Close Encounter

Chapter Two- A Close Encounter

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot of this story. Oh, and I used a really corny line off of Shrek.

The bright campfire beckoned to Lucca through the trees, but she didn't move an inch. This was her first chance to just sit, think, and be alone ever since-ever since, well, before they had went to Zeal. It wasn't pleasant at all, thinking about things, but it was something that had to be done.

She had been at her refuge, inside an almost impeccably crowded thicket of beeches about a hundred yards from the camp, ever since Crono and Marle had become all giggly and ran off into the forest together, probably doing God-knows-what on a log or something. After that, she had soon left in the opposite direction, not wanting the others to see her obvious distress. Her crush on Crono was a closely kept secret, and it was going to stay that way, especially now that Marle had become his new playmate. "Pah!" she thought, almost letting a giggle escape despite the bitterness of the situation. "With me gone, now that leaves just Ayla, Robo, Frog, and Magus at the fire. Bet THEY'VE got a lot to talk about!"

Lucca could now see through the forest canopy, which rustled in the slight breeze, that the stars were out. Tonight's night was a fine one, with the temperature being just right to sleep out in the open (although she had no intention of falling asleep in this dark thicket). She kind of wished, however, that they had been in an area without trees. "I bet the constellations here in the Middle Ages are slightly different," she murmured to herself. "I could see how the stars have moved over 400 years. What a fascinating subject to study!"

But even her geeky love of science couldn't avert her thoughts for a long period of time. Her subject of contemplation eventually drifted back to Crono, as always. She absentmindedly pulled off her helmet and shook her shoulder-length purple hair from its confines, running her hands through it in the usual fashion when she was nervous.

Geez, it had been a long time, at least fourteen years for sure that they had been best friends, but probably they played together long before that. Day after day they ran around, playing games and traipsing all over the countryside together, each day filled with newness, fun, and excitement. Sometimes others joined them in adventures, but mostly it was just she, Lucca, and her best friend Crono.

He was mostly a laid-back person, but could become the opposite when things got tough. He had a great sense of humor; even when she was in tears he could quickly make her laugh. There was also the fact that he was naturally curious and would always try out her inventions, no matter how wacky and far-out they were. She even liked his odd obsession with poyozo dolls; he had currently amassed about 40 of them in the cupboard in his room. And of course, she couldn't forget the fact that he was extremely handsome and his sweet, sexy smile could reduce her to a charbroiled, babbling heap in a split second. Yes, you could safely say that Lucca Ashtear liked pretty much everything about Crono.

She had realized that she had liked Crono as more than a friend about three years ago, when she was fourteen. Her raging hormones made her see that he was a pretty handsome, well-endowed guy, not her clever, smart-alecky best friend. From there it had escalated. However, she was painfully shy and would absolutely not even hint that she liked him. Even though he was her best friend and could talk freely with him about everything else, in this category she was painfully tongue-tied. 

And so it went on, until now. Now Marle was in the picture. Lucca now realized that they had probably liked each other long before that scene up on Death Peak, but hadn't picked up on it. How incredibly painful. Just when she had finally mustered up enough courage to tell him how she felt…

Lucca hated Marle. She hated Marle with all her soul. She was the symbol of everything that Lucca wasn't…and also everything that Crono liked. She was rich, she was beautiful, she was a princess, and hell…if you wanted to get all technical and into the world of rude, immature boys, as ditzy as she could be sometimes, she was probably easy. Lucca had none of these traits. But it wasn't Crono's fault; it was hers. She shouldn't have had a crush on a guy as great as him in the first place. Prettier, richer girls were a lot more likely to go after (and probably get) him.

Lucca suddenly fought the urge to cry. "Am I unattractive, is that it?" she thought miserably. "He's not shy, and I was right under his nose for years. If he liked me at all, he would have acted on it, am I right? I just must be ugly. Ugly. That's what I am. And a geek. Not only do I have those horrible large glasses, but my love of science…well, that's enough to turn ANY boy off. WHY is nature cruel to the ones that aren't pretty?" With that last depressing thought, tears started to run down her face. She just couldn't hold them in any longer. She sat there for God-knows-how-long, allowing tears to run down her face, until…CRACK. A nearby branch suddenly snapped, causing Lucca to nearly pee her pants in surprise. Whatever had stepped on that stick, be it human or be it monster, was close by. No way was it one of her friends; they would have called out to her first. She lay against the rough tree trunk, petrified with fear and barely daring to breathe. She didn't know if she could fight whatever was nearby, since no small animal could have caused a noise that loud. Her gun was almost useless at such a close range, and she couldn't cast her fire magic without setting the entire forest on fire. Her friends were too far away for her to call them for help; if it was anything dangerous and she yelled, by the time they got there they might be too late. She just kept her head down, hoping that whatever it was, it didn't know that she was there.

"Oh, did I scare you, little one?" drawled a male voice, dripping with contempt. Lucca at this point normally would have screamed and ran off far, far away, but this time she merely started a little. that was because she recognized the voice. Magus. 

She slowly looked up at him. Yes, there he was, standing right above her, looking at her like she was something that had soiled his shoe. His odd blue hair gleamed in the moonlight, and his nose, which turned up and indicated the snob that he was, wrinkled ever so slightly. His long midnight-blue cloak, which made him if at all possible even more intimidating, fluttered slightly in the small breeze. Suddenly she remembered what she had been doing before he showed up, and quickly put her head down. "Oh shit shit shit!" she thought in a panicked state. "I hope it's too dark for him to see that I was crying! Knowing him, he'll probably use it to blackmail me or something!"

Magus hmphed in his usual manner and continued on, "Oh yes, you're definitely scared. Well, that's understandable. I'm easily the most frightening thing that's roaming the forest tonight…"

"Don't flatter yourself," Lucca shot back. She was quickly regaining her dignity and composure. Normally she wouldn't be so rude to anybody, but the few encounters that she had already had with Magus (when he wasn't scowling in a corner) had been quite unpleasant. he treated everyone like they were inferior to him and it ticked her off. He was so self-centered and snobbish and stuck-up and oh---it just made her so MAD!

"Listen, you little geek-faced, snot-nosed poindexter," he replied, his lips tightening and his eyes cold, "you're treading on very thin ice, talking to me like that-"

"And so it goes- yada yada yada," Lucca interrupted in a bored voice (although in truth she was really quite royally pissed; being called geeky right to her face brought back some unpleasant memories). "What's next? Oh, let me guess, I'm the King of the Mystics and don't you forget it, you little piece of slime, and if you speak to me like that again than I'll summon my little pet Lavos, which, by the way, the only time I did I failed, and I'll let you be tortured again and again until you slowly die, is that it? Well, now that we've established that, what, may I ask, was it that brought you, Mr. King of the Mystics, into my lowly presence?" 

Even after that outburst on Lucca's part (which she was quite proud of, since he usually DID say things like that to everyone else), Magus still remained impassive. Leaning in very slowly and bringing his face very close to hers, he murmured in an extremely deadly voice, "And whose fault was it that I failed to summon Lavos? I don't recall it being a shortcoming on MY part. In fact, I happen to have a little flashback where I recall YOU setting me on fire even before Cyrus's little boyfriend cut me with his stupid sword! Yes, four-eyes, I'd be very, very careful if I were you. I hold grudges for a long, long time." At this, Lucca was now even more scared than when she heard him approaching. She would never, ever admit it, but he probably WAS scarier than anything she could possibly find in the forest. She tried to back away from him and out of the thicket, but he blocked her path.

"Will you-will you just let me go?" she inquired in a timid voice. For the life of her, she had NO clue why he would even go out of his way to scare her when he did that naturally.

The answer was short. "No."

"Well, then at least tell me why you're here!" She was already walking on "very thin ice", but she couldn't figure out why he was here. If he just wanted to annoy someone, then why wasn't he making fun of Frog's sewing kit or something? That's what everyone else did.

At this point, Magus decided to stop playing with her and cut to the chase. "I want you to fix the Epoch. Now," he declared in a bossy tone. 

The idea about doing it now was almost laughable to Lucca. "But why? It's practically midnight, and I can't see much anyway. And we're not going anywhere…" 

He crossed his arms and announced, "I don't know about you losers, but _I _am. I have to defeat Lavos. Don't question me. Currently, I am the only heir of Queen Zeal and I expect to be obeyed. NOW." 

This was too much. This time, Lucca really DID laugh. "But Lavos will DECIMATE you! Don't you get it?! You'll be CARBON. Bottom of the food chain. Not that I give a damn about what happens to you, but I do give a damn about the Epoch. It's not fixed, I'm not fixing it now, and I'm waiting till morning. Crono said we should all have a rest anyway." The fact that he actually needed her conscious to fix the Epoch emboldened her. 

"I don't CARE what that spikey-headed fool says. I want the Epoch fixed, and I want it fixed. NOW." He started bearing down on her until she was backed up against a tree. He was so close that she could smell that Jerky that they had had for dinner, much to her disgust. Lucca gulped. Things were taking a wrong direction, most definitely.

Magus continued on in a half-whisper, "Are you afraid of me?"

Lucca replied, sounding surer than she felt, "Hell, no! We wiped the floor with your ass and we'll do it again if we have to!"

"Really? Are you that sure?" He leaned his arm against the tree, trapping her against it. "Again, I seem to recall that there were THREE of you that wiped the floor with my ass, as you so articulately put it. There was you, that stupid frog, and that porcupine-headed idiot. That HARDLY seems like a fair fight, doesn't it? Look, metal head, it's just you and me. If it came to a fight, who do you think would win?"

Lucca's reply was very quick. "Y-you."

"Right. Now I suggest you go fix the Epoch like I asked." With that, Magus released her and stalked off, leaving Lucca extremely bewildered at the previous exchange. 

Still shaking a little, Lucca dusted herself off and prepared to go back to the campfire to get her tools. There was no avoiding it. Even if he WAS on their side, Magus was still very dangerous and she didn't want to cross him. "He might be the misunderstood prince of Zeal," she thought angrily, "but to me he's still just a bastard. I remember when he was a kid---gah, someone ought to have told that boy to take a bath!" She stomped off, getting rid of all evidence of her tears as she went. Nothing was going good. Her potential boyfriend material was going of with a ditz, her head ached from all the crying, and now the pale, friendless outcast of their band (although luckily his hygiene habits had improved considerably after 15+ years) was demanding that she fix the time machine at an unearthly hour. Life just wasn't fair. 

Things were quiet back at the fire. Crono and Marle were back, sleeping in each other's arms. ("Bah," thought Lucca.) The others were still awake, but barely. Robo apparently was recharging. Ayla seemed to have had a little too much of Frog's ale, and Frog himself seemed to be dropping off. But wait…where was Magus? He just wasn't there. He for some reason was not back at the camp yet, and THAT gave Lucca an idea. 

She sat down against a rock right next to Frog, who was definitely on the "I-hate-Magus-and-want-to-kill-him-someday" side of the river. Then she waited.

He came back about ten minutes later, cloak swishing slightly in the wind, scowling as usual. When he saw her just sitting there, it grew. She just sat there, gave him a little wave, and continued to smile cheekily at him. 

A/N: There. There it is. The dead giveaway. Gasp This fic shows its true colors. Don't worry, though. They won't be like "Oh, I love you" or "Let's get married because we have this sudden instant attraction for each other". I could in no way make that somehow believable, if at this point what I'm writing even is. Remember: he hates the world and she's still very much confused about Crono. I have to take it slowly. And thanks for the reviews so far! They've really encouraged me and I'm glad that I seem to somehow be taking a right direction.


	4. It's All Your Fault, Frog!

Chapter Three-

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger or anything having to do with it. Happy?

Here it is, Chapter Three ( by all rights it should be four, but the first one was more like a prologue or something). Not too many LuMa moments in here, but I needed this chapter to continue the plot. 

"Robo, hand me that wrench," Lucca wiped her brow with a sweaty hand and grabbed the wrench from Robo's claw with the other. With a grunt of satisfaction she tightened the last bolt. Finally. It was done.

It was noon of the following morning, and, as promised, pretty much everybody was helping Lucca with the Epoch in some way. She was glad of the help. "Good thing I wasn't fazed by that asshole last night," she thought smugly, albeit being a little cross about the whole ordeal . But she didn't want to think about it. Instead she ran over to the campfire, where something was apparently cooking. No, not something. Jerky. Most definitely Jerky. That was all they had been carrying when the Epoch had crashed, anyway. Marle was experimenting with it.

Five minutes later the whole gang (well, except for Robo, who was present but for obvious reasons did not eat) was munching on the spicy stuff, which was apparently simmered in water with some kind of herb. It wasn't TOO bad, even Lucca had to admit. "Let's just hope her IQ is higher than I think and this plant doesn't turn out to be poisonous," she thought a little doubtfully.

"Well," said Crono cheerfully, "looks like we're okay. I guess after we're done eating we'll get in and head back to Truce."

"But wait!" exclaimed Marle, actually showing signs of intelligence. "Robo says that we're near Choras, right? We don't have to take extra time and come back. Why don't we just go and ask about Toma NOW?"

Frog agreed wholeheartedly. "It seemeth like a good idea, Lady Marle."

"My girl ALWAYS has good ideas," said Crono, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Feeling sick at just the plain corniness of it, Lucca pretended not to see. Not wanting people to notice the tears pricking the corners of her eyes, she quickly volunteered to be one of those that went to Choras.

***

Choras turned out to be only a few miles away. It was located in a valley that could be seen right from the edge of the forest. An hour and a half later, Lucca, Frog, and Marle (who, much to Lucca's disgust, had decided to accompany them) found themselves in a local pub sitting on the outskirts of town. It was a rickety affair, with bright patches of sun peeking through the thatched roof and the curtains being old and moth-eaten, but the place seemed to have a friendly, hometown vibe to it. The trio entered to both have a drink and to get some information on Toma, since they had no idea where to look. 

The bar was almost full, it still being around the noon hour, but they managed to snag three stools at the counter. The middle-aged woman tending bar brought them what they ordered (for Frog it was ale and for Lucca and Marle it was pastries) and when there was a lull in the business, they asked her if Toma had been at his home lately. 

"It's funny you ask, " she replied, putting a pitcher down on the counter. "He visited here maybe two days ago, said he was off to find the Rainbow Shell. Codswallop, I say! I say such a thing probably don't even exist!"

"Where be he headed, madam?" inquired Frog, sipping his ale. "Did he mention?"

She thought about this for a moment, and replied, "The talk is he's headed to Pamall, something about that big beastly island up northwest. Now what's it called…Giant's Claw? Yeah, Giant's Claw! He believes the shell is in that area. As I said, codswallop! He'll find nothing because it ain't real!"

"Where's Pamall?" Marle asked, ignoring her strong opinions.

"Oh, it's a fishing village up north, dear. Toma likely thought he could get him a boat to Giant's Claw from there. Oh, excuse me…" She hustled off to the kitchen in the back.

"Geez, what was HER problem?" Marle huffed. "Isn't Toma supposed to be famous or something?"

Lucca rolled her eyes at Marle's stupidity. "Really, Marle, you believe EVERYTHING Toma brags about?! He's mostly just talk. Back in our time I've never even heard of him. It's just that he might have leads on the Shell but can't reach it."

***

After stocking up on things like mid-tonics, revives, and food other than Jerky, the three headed back to camp. It took a little bit of work relocating the whereabouts of the Epoch, but with Frog and Lucca's combined knowledge (forget Marle), they got there safely. Everyone gathered around to hear about Toma.

"So let me get this straight," said Crono, scratching his head. "Toma's headed for Pamall, a town northwest of there. From there he'll probably catch a boat to Giant's Claw, an island even further northwest. Does he know for sure if the Shell's there?"

"I already told you," Lucca replied, "we didn't talk directly to Toma. He left this area a few days ago. The only way we'll learn anything for sure is if we follow him."

Crono sat down on a nearby rock. "Well, I guess we have no choice, then. We'll have to pick a party and head for Giant's Claw. Hey, didn't we see an island or something on the way here, a little while before we crashed? Could that be it, maybe?"

Ayla pounded the ground with a fist. "Ayla see too!" she grunted. "Big island, with pointy mountain in middle. Big mountain there…"

Robo scanned his memory for a few seconds. "I seem to recall it, also. It was approximately 20 miles long and 17.5 miles wide. I would proceed there with extreme caution."

"He's right, you know," Crono said, shrugging. "Big mountain, out in the middle of nowhere. For all we know it could be a hideout for a gang of thieves."

"Let's take four people instead of three," Marle chipped in. "I'd even say all seven of us should go, but what if a lot of unfriendly people DO live there? We'll be spotted if there's a lot of us. But I want to be one of the four. You're NOT leaving me behind this time!"

Lucca was about to point out that, unlike her, Marle had HARDLY ever been left behind at the End of Time, but Crono's next reply crowded out any of her present thoughts. "Yeah, seems like a good idea. I'll come too. And as for the other two people that would come with us…how about you, Frog? After all, you're the one from this time period."

Frog was currently sitting outside the circle, looking even greener than usual. "I shall have to pass up your request, Master Crono," he croaked in a slightly subdued voice. "You see, my stomach churns like a tempest. And I do not wish to hurl chunks at you or your friends, if you catch my meaning." He turned away from the rest of the group. 

Lucca remonstrated, "Frog, I TOLD you not to eat that! If you don't know the animal, don't risk it !" Talking at that moment was a fatal mistake, because, of course, for once Crono noticed her. 

"Well then, how about you, Lucca?" he asked innocently.

Lucca inwardly groaned at the thought of spending a few days with Crono and Marle both together, but for Crono, she'd do anything. She put on her sweetest smile, and said in her most sincere voice, "Of course. I'd be GLAD to come along."

Crono smiled back. "Great!" Jerking his head over to the right, he added, "And as for one more person, um, um, how about you ("No!" thought Lucca. "No, no, NO! Oh please God, NO!"), Magus?" ("Aw, shit!") She had been avoiding him ever since the Epoch incident, and he knew it. Whenever she HAD to be near him, she stayed especially close to either Frog or Crono. Even then, she still had quite a few venomous glares being shot at her from his direction. And to be stuck for two days with not only Crono and Marle, but with HIM too, well, she might as well be writing her own obituary. 

"Very well," said Magus, not looking too happy about it (he called all these extra tasks a "waste of time" and wanted to get straight to Lavos). "I want to start off immediately, though. I am NOT spending another night in this hellhole of a forest." No, he wasn't happy (heaven forbid if he ever was), but Lucca could have positively SWORN that for a few seconds she saw a crooked smile flit across his face. At her. No, things weren't looking too good. During this trip he was definitely planning to make her life miserable. 

Lucca thought fast. "Umm…Crono," she proffered, "I just remembered. I don't think I can go. I've checked everything with the Epoch except I didn't take it for a test-drive to see if everything's okay. You want me to make sure about that, right?"

Crono crossed over to where Lucca was sitting and put his hand on her shoulder in a brotherly-type fashion. Lucca's heart began beating faster just being near him. "Listen," he said, "I can say right now that you did a great job with the Epoch. I'm sure it's fine. We could really use your smarts for this little adventure. Just come along with us."

"But are you SURE?! One bent cable and that thing could go haywire. You don't want that, do you? I'm sure that Frog is up to going with you. He's as smart as I am, right, Frog?" Her heart was pounding so hard that she was pretty sure Crono could hear it.

Silence ensued after her suggestion. Well, not COMPLETE silence. With supreme humiliation, Lucca slowly realized that the one noise she could hear at the moment was Frog "hurling chunks" in the bushes nearby. Her face immediately turning beet red, she managed to stammer, "Um…I guess not. I-I guess I'll go."

Crono shined down a smile that could have made her insides melt. "Good girl! I know we might have some tough fights up ahead, but that's why we need you to help us."

Marle got up and dusted herself off. "Let's listen to Magus and get going. Somebody told us that Pamall is maybe like ten miles off that way, so maybe we can get there sometime late tonight."

"Yeah," said Crono. "We can sure try. Let's pack up and go."

Everyone turned to help him pack up some gear and equipment for the trip. Lucca herself turned and started to head for the Epoch so she could add in some things of her own, but a hand grabbed her shoulder. She whirled around, knowing who it was before she saw him. Magus. 

If he was angry, he didn't show it. With that same crooked smile on his face, he said lightly, "Packing, are you? Well, remember to bring some tissues. After all, we wouldn't want people to notice if you…cry again, would we?" After that he just stalked off, his cloak billowing behind him in the wind. 

Lucca turned a bright shade of red yet again. Her worst fears were coming true. That last rude little comment was his own way of saying that during this trip, HE was the one in charge. Oh, her life would be miserable indeed. But worse…he HAD known she had been crying the night before. What if he had enough perception to figure out WHY?! If he did, he probably would be only too happy to tell Crono about the whole affair. This trip was definitely not going to be a fun one…

A/N: There you are! Hope you liked it! It was really hard for me to write. I made Crono seem like a doofus, and that wasn't what I intended. Again, thanks for the reviews, especially from:

Sailor Leo: I loved your Campfire fic! It's actually one of the reasons I wrote this one. I couldn't find too many Lu/Mas on this site, so I decided to start my own. Who knows, maybe I'll start a movement! 

Alba Aulbath: No, I'm not into mushy either. Can you imagine Magus being mushy? I can't. I just hope later on I don't make him that way. 

Kit Thespian: Glad you agree! And yes, I'm planning to keep Crono and Marle together. I kind of bash Marle, but I think they're a good couple. 


	5. The Roommate From Hell

Chapter Four-

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Chrono Trigger. I'd certainly like to, maybe I'd force my employees to get a new Chrono game out, but like THAT'll ever happen. 

A/N: This chapter might be a little different than what you're used to. It's seems to be a bit more good-humored and maybe even a little light-hearted (at least in my mind). Weird for a fic that started out on Death Peak, huh? The problem IS is that when I do a chapter like this Magus gets OOC. 

The steam from the bath curled around Lucca in tendrils. Ahh, nothing felt better than a long soak in a huge tub, even if it WAS the Middle Ages and she had to heat the water with her Fire 2 spell before jumping in . Wait, she stood corrected. Nothing was better than a long soak in a huge tub while that BASTARD in the bedroom stayed smelly and dirty.

Yes, the events of this evening had been unfortunate. After a long eight hour march north, they had finally made it to Pamall, a crappy little backwater town that smelled like the pungent odor of fish and had strange citizens to boot. Worse than that, since it was night they decided to stay at an inn, and Lucca was forced to share a room with Magus. Well, she should have seen it coming; after all, Crono and Marle usually spent all the alone time they could. But why did it have to be MAGUS, who was, excluding Marle, the person she hated the most in the world, and oh yes, that included all the time periods that she had been in COMBINED??!! Why couldn't it be someone pleasant and interesting, like Frog? Noooo, THAT could never happen…

At any rate, here she was in the bath. The minute she had heard of her rooming situation, Lucca ran off to the one place where she was absolutely guaranteed to be left alone: the bathroom. She was tired, she was pissed off about Crono and Marle, and she didn't want that insufferable Mystic King to horn in and take advantage of her current weakness, which he would probably jump at the chance to do. Feeling she like had no control over the whole situation, Lucca just sat and stared at the ceiling, letting the countless tiles hypnotize her. She was really starting to get drowsy when…

BAM. BAM. BAM. Someone was pounding on the door loudly. "Two guesses to who THAT is," Lucca thought crossly. 

BAM. BAM. BAM. "Will you hurry UP?! I demand that you get out of there at once!" Yep, it was prince brat all right.

However, during the long walk to this godforsaken place Lucca had had time to think about things. One of them was her attitude towards Magus. She was tired of cowering in fear whenever he walked by. He had weaknesses like everyone else, as that encounter in the forest had shown. And one of them was humiliation.

"Aw, how sad!" she mocked at him through the door. "Does princey-poo wanna bathe, get his jammies on, an' hop in bed? I'm sorry, I had no idea!"

Even the simple-minded could have deduced that Magus's reply would not be a happy one. "I do NOT wear jammies, weakling! And you would do well to better respect me, since I have powers greater than you could ever imagine! Just think of all the things I could do to your for your impudence!"

"Like what? Steal my stamp collection?" Lucca sneered. Puffed-up comments like the one he had just made probably meant he was losing his cool, and when he lost his cool, that meant he was humiliated. All-in-all a winning situation. After all, she had a lot more confidence when he wasn't pinning her to a tree. 

"You forget what I'm capable of, girl! I killed Cyrus in a single blow, and-"

"WHAT kind of blow, fanghead?! Just go away! Go and fail to summon Lavos again or something!"

"THAT'S IT!! NO ONE questions my sexual orientation! I am blasting this door down in approximately ten seconds. Ten, nine-"

Lucca realized she had taken things just a little too far and it was getting dangerous. Jumping out of the tub, she quickly wrapped a towel around herself, grabbed her clothes, and cast her new Flare spell on the bathwater, causing it to evaporate. She jerked the door open by the time Magus had got to three. Brushing past him in just her towel, she took the time to add, "The bathroom, Your Majesty." She had to admit, she had a lot of gall, insulting him like she did, but it was against her nature to let him get away with what he wanted. 

Within half a second she found herself pinned against the wall yet again. She whimpered as she struggled to keep her towel up with one hand.

Magus, eyes half-closed, looked down upon her with his long nose. He looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying scaring the shit out of her. "I should kill you for your insolence."

Racking her brains for something to say, Lucca quickly blurted out, "No, you shouldn't! Crono and Marle are right next door, and if you kill me they'll beat the living crap out of you for sure! And what about Frog? He's got the Masamune, and he'd just love an excuse to use it. Now let me see, you were bleeding pretty badly that one night, weren't you? And how about your master plan to defeat Lavos? You won't be going anywhere for awhile if you ax me, there'll be a funeral and preparations for it and mourners-"

Magus cut her off with a sweep of his arm. Using that same deadly voice from before, he murmured, "All right, I will spare you this time. But you'd better watch your back from now on, geek." He spun around on his heel and stomped off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Shaking like a rabbit, Lucca walked over to her bed (luckily there were two, otherwise she would have probably been freezing on the floor) and changed into her clothes. Yes, the sarcastic, make-fun-of-you-till-you're-mad approach DID work, (to a point) but there was no denying it, it was a frightening process. Well, at least at this point she knew he wouldn't blast her to pieces during their spats. He couldn't do much more than frighten her. Lucca knew she had made some very good points during their maybe-I-should-kill-you dispute, and he found that he couldn't without getting into terribly hot water. And if he so much as opened his mouth again, she would give him back some of his own medicine. Gladly.

***

Lucca was well into a thick but very interesting (for her, maybe) machinery book when he emerged from the bathroom, looking as cross as ever. And for once he had nothing to say. He just turned and proceeded to make the other bed. Lucca raised her eyebrows in amazement at this. Had Nus suddenly sprouted wings? Or maybe, just maybe, had her "fight fire with fire" tactics worked? Maybe...

She continued to stare at his form in puzzlement. Well, maybe just halfway puzzlement. The other half was surprise. For a guy that used as much magic as he did, Magus sure had a lot to show off. Right now he was just in his boxers (so much for the jammies theory) and without wearing his usual blues, purples, and reds, Lucca could now see that his skin was actually less white than it appeared. In a funny way, it almost seemed a little...tan? And was that a six pack she had glimpsed before he turned around? Not bad, not bad...

At that thought Lucca immediately blushed a crimson red and buried her face in _An Engineer's Guide to the Mechanical Principles of the Ninth Century_. What was she thinking? Magus sucked. Magus was mean. Magus was ugly. Even FROG had to be better looking than Magus. She took a deep breath and thought, "Think Crono, think Crono, think Crono, think Cro-"

"Listen, metal head," Magus's voice cut through her inner diatribe harshly (apparently he had just been getting warmed up earlier), "what you just did to me was unacceptable. By all rights I could kill you for what just happened. But I won't. Not quite yet, anyway...But your time will come; what with two strikes already against you the third will be soon to-WILL YOU PAY ATTENTION BEFORE I BLAST YOU, GIRL?! No upside-down book could _possibly _be that interesting..."

Shit! It really WAS upside-down! So much for keeping her cover. Well, at least he didn't know about that little look-see she had just had; the fact that she had done it was embarrassing enough as it was. She put the book down and stared at him in mock rapt-attention. He scowled, propping his arm on the pillow before continuing, "You squabble with me as if I am your equal. Hah! You're _nothing _compared to me girl, and you would do well to remember that. I am the heir to the throne of Zeal, and the King of the Mystics-"

"Ooooo! The Mystic Kingdom! Now where have I heard of that before, it sounds familiar," Lucca commented, pretending to think hard. "Oh yeah! It was just destroyed...by me, Frog, and Crono! Really, you need some better people running your kingdom, if just three people can topple it like that! I mean, look at Ozzie, that green blob-"

"All right! That's it! I've had it!" Even in his half-sitting position Magus managed to form the beginnings of a dark bomb on the tip of his finger. "You're going down!"

Lucca felt ready to pee her pants, but in a situation like this, she absolutely HAD to keep her cool. "Me? Go down?" she said lightly, making her voice didn't shake. "But who'll fix the Epoch? You won't be going far in its current condition."

That had him stumped. With a wave of his other hand, Magus dispersed the dark bomb but continued to glare at Lucca. "You've got a point there, girl," he snarled, "but don't think for a minute that I'm keeping you alive out of kindness. You're just useful for that one purpose. And that's all."

"Well, aren't we truthful," said Lucca sarcastically. "You know, if you'd just be an EENSY bit nicer to others, then maybe they'd actually respect you. But like THAT would ever happen, so why the hell am I even suggesting it? Oh, and Maggy-" -this was the last thing she said before turned over to read on her other side - "you know your cape? Did you know that purple's the gay pride color?" She smiled wickedly at that comment. Even for a genius that was good.

She heard a little choking noise from the other side of the room, but no attempts to blast her while her back was turned were made. And so she had it. She had finally floored Magus. But he would make a comeback. His hugely inflated ego would make sure of that. But she would have to deal with it when the time came. Despite the fact that she knew he was used to pushing people around and his insults probably meant nothing, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt at some of the things he said (especially the geek part; even if it was true, she couldn't bear being called a geek). Well, she'd just have to put her armor on and tolerate him.

She snuck a quick peek at him to see if he was still fuming about the whole thing. No, he was calmly reading a thick, ancient book about what appeared to be medieval architecture (NOW who was the geek?). Although Lucca in no way could read minds, he appeared at peace, one arm crooked behind his head and a look of indifference on his face. His almost waist-length pale blue hair, still half wet from the bath, fanned out like fine silk...

"Argh!" thought Lucca, jerking her head back. "What's wrong with me?! Not only is that bastard unattractive, but he's acting like nothing just happened as well! But I feel it... No matter what I say, he's still winning and he knows it! Geez, if I'm that desperate, I must really be lonely..." She blew out the candle on her side of the room and attempted to go to sleep, but sleep was slow in coming.

Thoughts about Crono and Marle. Again. God, she just wanted Marle to DIE. She was beautiful. She was a princess. She was literally rolling in gold. SHE didn't have to worry about people unfavorably judging HER because of HER appearance, since it was already so good. SHE didn't have to take the constant verbal abuse of a certain Mystic King because SHE wasn't singled out as weak. SHE didn't have a constant battle with HER self-confidence because it had been whittled down in the past. And most of all, SHE didn't have to worry about being overlooked by the opposite sex because HER looks were, at most complimentary, utterly plain. Argh! Well, that was usually the tradeoff for being smart... This train of thought continued on for perhaps two hours, until, until..ssomething ELSE happened that was maybe worth mentioning…

Lucca's eyes snapped open. She had just heard a noise, a weird one at that. It had been loud, loud enough to wake her up from her sleep, if she had been indeed been sleeping, she wasn't sure if she had been or not… She listened further (it actually kept getting louder and louder) to try and come to a conclusion. It seemed to be coming from the next room…

Suddenly, her mouth opened wide in disgust. She knew EXACTLY what it was. It was Crono and Marle. And they were doing, um, activities. No, this night was not in her favor. Not at all.

She lay there, miserable, her head swimming, being forced to listen to the whole affair; no matter what position she lay in, she could still hear it. This continued on for several minutes, but then something completely unexpected occurred. Magus woke up.

Maybe he had just been released from a particularly powerful dream, maybe he had been suffering through it for awhile already. Either way, he suddenly jumped out of bed, unceremoniously scaring the SHIT out of her when he did, and proceeded to pound on the wall that bordered their room and Crono and Marle's. "WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP IN THERE? IF I WANTED TO HEAR GRUNTS I'D GO TO A PUBLIC BATHROOM!"

The silence was almost instantaneous. It was almost funny, in fact. Magus stood and listened for a moment yet, his pointy ears slightly perked up, but nothing could be heard. Satisfied, he turned and went back to bed, rolling over on his stomach.

Lucca sighed gratefully and drifted off to sleep. Well, at least the bastard was good for SOMETHING…

A/N: There! Like it? This chapter kind of popped out, I was actually planning to go straight to Giant's Claw. But if they hate each other and it's supposed to go slow…better adding a few chapters for good measure, right? And yes, of course I'll make sure Crono and Lucca have a little conversation sometime in this story. It'll have to be at a later point, though, when Lucca and Magus are actually hooked up. Please review! 


	6. Magus and His Throne

Chapter Five-

Disclaimer: Again, for what seems the ten millionth time, I do NOT own Crono Trigger and I do not plan on making profit off this fic. There! Happy? Oh yeah, and if I used Toma's last name from any other fic somewhere, I'M SORRY!! Somehow, I believe it's his last name, except I'm not sure if it's even in the game. It just seems familiar from somewhere. 

A/N: Just so you know, I'm not exactly a big fan of this chapter. It was near impossible to write. I promise that the next one, which I'm already halfway through writing, will be ten times better. ARGH!! I HATE plot chapters! (Curses under breath.) 

The trek through the wasteland seemed long and endless, but Lucca and the others persevered, taking long, purposeful strides. There would be no rest until this was over. The sun barely peeked through a strange yellow haze, and except for themselves, no living creature was to be seen. If things continued as they were now, then the entire world would eventually be like this barren desert. And, after seeing it, they couldn't allow that to happen. At least not a second time. 

"There!" shouted Crono, pointing. "Over there!" Suddenly Lucca spotted a large rocky cliff looming over them. Somehow it seemed very ominous. With Crono in the lead, the group of time-travelers rounded one of its rocky corners. And that was when they sighted him.

Lucca had seen Lavos up close before (she had been at the Ocean Palace when Zeal collapsed), but this version of him seemed even more nightmarish than the last. One large orange eye, filled with animosity, slowly winked at them. Large brown spikes, covered with some sort of poisonous ooze, protruded from the creature's shell, just waiting to be shot at the hapless bunch. Forget killing him and saving the world. They'd be lucky if they even managed to survive this battle for five seconds.

Everyone just stood staring at the monster. Even Magus, gaping in horror, didn't have a thing to say. They watched, petrified, as the creature opened its mouth and dictated in a shrill, annoying voice, "Lucca! Lucca! Wake up! Lucca!"

Lucca, realizing that it had just been a dream, slowly opened one eye. Yup, it was Marle. Figures… "Mmmph…"

"Hey, good morning, Lucca!" squealed Marle in that repulsively sweet voice. "Sleep like a rock all night?"

"Nope, not till dawn," lied Lucca, and managing to keep a straight face at the same time. "I felt kinda sick all night. I think I ate the same thing Frog did…" THAT would teach them to be loud while she was trying to sleep!

Predictably, Marle's face turned a bright red and she conveniently had to go do something. Lucca rolled over on her side, slamming the pillow over her head and attempting to get a few more minutes of precious sleep. Morning people could just go to hell.

Sadly, her morning snooze was rudely interrupted when a large backpack came sailing through the air and landed on her chest with a loud WHUMP. "Get the hell up, four-eyes! We're not waiting for your lazy ass, so get it in gear! NOW!" Lucca opened her eyes. Magus, of course. And still in his boxers, too. But never mind that. That backpack HURT.

"Son of a bitch," she mumbled, "you could have injured me…"

"What was that, geek? You care to repeat that for me? Now, I just so recall happening to remember us ALREADY having a little talk about changing your attitude. And I'm NOT warning you again. Next time I'm getting revenge, and think about the consequences. After all, it would be quite sad if I am unable to defeat Lavos because I had to kill you instead, wouldn't it?" 

Lucca rolled her eyes at this. Revenge should have been Magus's middle name. After all, he was constantly ranting about getting it. Getting revenge on Lavos, getting revenge on Queen Zeal, getting revenge on her, and even getting revenge on Ozzie, strangely enough. But had he ever gotten revenge? NO!! (Well, maybe that one time with Lavos, but then he had gotten his ass kicked.) It was for this reason that she wasn't sure whether to be afraid of him or not. But she wasn't taking chances. Not now, anyway. His voice had that dangerous tone again… She decided that ignoring him was the best route. 

With a groan, she pushed the backpack onto the floor and forced herself to sit on the edge of the bed. Magus stood, arms crossed, watching her, a big smirk on his face. "My my, sleepy, aren't we? You look even uglier than usual, if that's possible. And I thought Ozzie was unbearably repulsive…"

Lucca was debating whether or not to give him a piece of her mind, but then fate stepped in and Marle decided to come back. "Great! You're awake! By the way, I came to tell you that Crono already left to see if he can get someone to take us to that island. If he does, then we're off!" She shot a look over at Magus, and looked aghast at his near-nakedness. Or maybe his body. Lucca had no idea. Either way, it looked go-never mind. She absolutely HAD to get those perverted thoughts out of her mind.

Magus walked right up to Marle. "Oh Marle, it's you," he said in what seemed to be a happy, conversational tone. "Good morning! My, you look tired. You didn't - sleep much - did you?"

If Marle had been red when Lucca had said her piece, it was nothing compared to now. Marle's face was the most vivid, fire engine shade of red Lucca had ever seen. "Um, no, Magus," she managed to stammer. "I am -um- glad you care," She got out in a hurry. 

Lucca almost snorted in laughter, but then she remembered just exactly WHO was making her laugh. Geez, he sure was on a roll this morning, wasn't he? Magus didn't say a word more; he just padded over to the bathroom, muttering about a "loose woman." Loose, he was sure right about that.

***

The journey over to Giant's Claw was for the most part uneventful. Crono had paid 900g to the owner of a well-sized fishing junk to get them there. Lucca hung around the captain's cabin, well away from Magus, who seemed to be in an even more constipated mood than usual. She had to block out Crono and Marle, who were standing at the railing nearby, though; Marle's ditzy comments about how blue the sea was and how hot she was despite all the water around them were more than she could stand.

After arranging with the captain to pick them up in two days, the boat dropped them off on the eastern shore of Giant's Claw sometime around noon. The island's terrain, which was mostly just plains sprinkled with small clusters of trees here and there, looked fairly easy to traverse, much to Lucca's relief. It had been a hard walk yesterday, mostly through forest, and her legs still ached from it.

"Well, here we are," said Crono, tying a bandana around his head in an effort to keep cool. 

"No shit," retorted Magus in a disgusted voice, his nose in the air.

Crono, having an amiable nature, ignored him, and went on, "Well, I think the first place we should go to is the mountain. Does that sound good, you guys?"

"Fine with me."

"You're smart, Crono!"

"I don't care where the hell we go, I never wanted to come in the first place."

Crono turned to stare at the mountain. "I guess it's settled, then. We'll head for the mountain. Good thing it's slightly off-center. It's a lot closer to where we are than from any other direction. It's still a good walk, though. Let's go!"

The hike began in silence. Everyone needed to save their energy for the long distance ahead. But Lucca swore she heard someone mutter under his breath, "Simpletons…"

***  


Everyone was exhausted by the time they neared the mountain in the early evening. Even if the damn thing had LOOKED close when they had first stepped ashore, it in all reality wasn't. And the sheer size of it was mind-boggling. It was easily at least the size of Death Peak. Lucca had no idea where to start the search, but she knew one thing: if the Rainbow Shell was on this island at all, it definitely had to be somewhere on this mountain.

Crono put voice to her question. "Well, where should we start looking? Should we try climbing it? I don't even know where to start. It's just so big…"

"Why don't we just circle around a few times first?" suggested Lucca. "That way we can check if there's anything out of the ordinary. Even if we don't see anything, we at least might find an easy way to climb up."

"Yeah…Sounds like a good idea. But I'm sort of beat. Maybe we should set up ca-"

"Oh, hey! Look!" exclaimed Marle. She seemed to be pointing at something amongst a few trees clustered at the mountain's base nearby. "Isn't that a cave over there?"

Pushing up her glasses for a better look, Lucca squinted over in that direction. Yes, there WAS a cave there. Even though it was in the shade of the trees and it was hard to detect, she could tell that, going by the size of the entrance, it was a fairly large one. Their questions had been answered.

"Is anybody up for going on a little while yet?" asked Crono. "I mean, yes, I'm a little tired, but it's still maybe a few hours until it gets completely dark. And I'll admit I made a mistake when I told the boat to pick us up so soon, we don't have a lot of time…"

"Yeah, Crono's right, let's go," said Marle, nodding her head. "I sure hope that cave leads somewhere…"

***

It took Lucca's eyes a few minutes to adjust to the gloom within, but once she could see, she was wholly unimpressed. No shell. Nothing that looked remotely like a shell. It was just the usual rocky interior of a dark cave. "Could ANYTHING for once just be easy?" she thought, chagrined, as she began lighting torches for everyone so they would be able to see in corners and in the cave's depths (supposing there were any). She had a strong urge to drop that last one right on Magus's foot (that backpack had probably left a bruise!), but she figured that once she started injuring him, he would probably do it back, and she liked her own form, thank-you-very-much.

Everyone spread out to look for another doorway. They were quickly rewarded when Lucca herself found what they were looking for. "Here! This way! And we're in luck, too! It seems to lead deeper within the mountain!"

Marle and Magus followed Lucca's lead and started to go into the newly-found entrance, but stopped when Crono lagged behind. He seemed to be bending over (and what a nice view it was too, Lucca noted) to pick up something. He walked over to the others and showed them what appeared to be a small, leather-bound black book. "I think it's a diary…"

Lucca grabbed it and took a closer look. "Yeah, it says Toma Levine, World Explorer on it. Looks like he was here…" She leafed through it, skimming through some of its contents. "Hey, listen to this! This was the last entry he wrote: Have been searching this cave for two days. It's really quite strange, it's as if this place was inhabited at some point. This would be the perfect place for the Rainbow Shell to be, except…everywhere I've looked leads to nowhere. There are only dead ends. Even the switches I've pushed do next to nothing; their only purpose seems to be to trap people in the level below. Hey…wait! Those holes! What if I jump into them on purpose! Yes! I'll start back at the beginning, and…" The rest of the sentence was just an illegible scrawl. 

Magus rolled his eyes. "What a redundant thing to write in a diary…"

"But what does he mean about the holes or whatever?" asked Marle, puzzled. 

Crono shrugged. "I don't know, but we'll have to watch for 'em up ahead. And hopefully we'll run into Toma while we're at it. You know that guy…I hope he didn't break his neck jumping. After all, the Rainbow Shell is still just a rumor in our period for good reason, right?"

Lucca personally didn't give a good damn if he was alive or not. Boisterous, rude, and arrogant, all Toma seemed to do was just suck up beer and soda in bars while boasting about all his so-called adventures as an explorer. And if he turned out to still be alive…well…she'd have a lot of fun making fun of his diary. _Those holes! What if I jump into them on purpose? _How gay was THAT?!

The next room was a big surprise. Whipping her torch around high in the air, Lucca saw that it looked quite familiar. The floor was a cold, metallic tile that clinked as she stepped on it… An egg-like treasure chest, the contents long gone, lay broken on its side in a corner… And in the center of all was a large, elegant throne, adorned with polished dinosaur spikes…

"Hey!" exclaimed Marle. "This looks a lot like Tyrano Lair, doesn't it?"

Magus sneered, "Gee, maybe it is." Seemed that Lucca wasn't the only one that suffered from Marle's sheer stupidity…

Lucca, anyway, could tell straight up that this WAS Tyrano Lair, the place where they defeated Azala and his vicious race of Reptites over sixty-five million years ago. She and Marle had been along with Crono and Ayla that day, and it, excluding Death Peak, had been one of the toughest times she had ever had. The Black Tyrano that Azala had engineered had been no laughing matter…

Crono wiped dust off one of the throne's arms. "It's amazing how well-preserved this place is, isn't it? It's been sixty-five million years, and it STILL looks almost the same. And I think it's possible that the Rainbow Shell is here. It could have been a Reptite treasure, maybe."

Lucca had to agree. "That's very possible, Crono. I bet back in prehistoric days things like that were a lot more common. But even if we don't find it here…just think of all the things waiting to be discovered! I could take rock samples- and take home some artifacts to study-" The prospect was actually quite exciting. Yeah, here and there she had pinched an object or bought a souvenir somewhere, but it was nothing like THIS.

Somebody snorted. Lucca's eyes narrowed. No, correction: MAGUS had snorted. So…he thought she was a geek, did he? She glared at him angrily, despite the fact that Crono and Marle stood there, watching everything. He merely glared back, his mouth twitching slightly. So he thought taking rock samples was funny, huh? "You'd better watch it, buddy," she thought with animosity. "I don't care HOW many dark bombs you can hit me with. I can take your crap when I'm alone, but when you insult me in front of Crono…"

The person in question tried to alleviate the knife-cutting tension by changing the subject. "Hey guys, do you think this is a good place to camp? We're not too deep in, and we'll be protected from the elements in here. How about it? We'll get started bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Sleep? In here?" asked Marle a little fearfully.

"It's fine, girl, it's fine. I'll protect you. Besides, we'll have lookouts. We do almost every other night we camp, don't we?"

"Well…all right."

***

An hour later found everyone sitting around a large, waist-high torch salver that burned an odd, fluorescent-green flame. The bracket itself was truly an intricate work, silver with ornately-carved organic patterns, but the real treasure was inside, a colorless powder that gave the fire its green color. Lucca found that if you sprinkled it on the floor and ignited it, it would burn for a long time, for perhaps hours. This would be a real asset when they explored tomorrow. 

Crono turned his wistful gaze from the fire and voiced what was on his mind. "You know how strange this all is? And now here we are again, two weeks later, in the same place, except almost sixty-five million years have passed. It almost seems unreal."

Lucca drew her knees to her chin and replied, "I know. It doesn't seem possible, does it? But what bothers me is how this place even survived. Didn't Lavos crush it? This place was probably shoved MILES into the earth and it still appears to be almost untouched."

"Yeah, what a surprise, considering it probably took a lot of force to push it right back up again. Nature produces lots of miracles, huh?"

"I don't know, but right now I'm worried about Toma," Marle piped up. "He's somewhere deeper in this cave, all alone…This place _might _seem empty, but that doesn't exactly mean it is."

Crono put his arm around her affectionately. "It's okay, cutie, we'll keep an eye out for him tomorrow. But in the meantime, we need to get some rest. We need watches in a place like this, though. I'll go first, then Lucca, then you, and then Magus. How does that sound?"

"Fine."

"All right."

"Hmpfh, now I'm being reduced to THIS…"

Everyone, yawning and stretching, prepared for bed. Magus, noticing the sidelong glances that BOTH Crono and Marle were shooting at the throne, quickly announced, "I get the throne. All you other unworthies can sleep on the floor." He snatched a spare blanket and headed for it. 

Lucca smiled. THIS was too good to miss out on. "What, miss your big throne, fanghead? Well, I genuinely feel sorry for you. But oh well. At least for tonight you can PRETEND."

Lucca found herself on her back, one of Magus's large, booted feet planted firmly on her chest, before she could even say knife. He had a look of utmost fury on his face. In fact, the only time she had ever seen him more angry was in the Ocean Palace, right before Crono had died… "Now WHAT was that you said, four-eyes?"

Her heart pounding so hard and fast that she was willing to bet that Magus could feel it, Lucca grinned and continued, "Oh, what's the matter? Want your medieval architecture book back, mage man? Well, of course you can have it back. Us geeks have to stick together, you kn-"

"Let's get the facts straight, geeky. First of all, don't compare me to you. That puts me right at the bottom along with FILTH like you. Second of all, I'm still very powerf-"

"STOP!! NOW!!" Crono stood up, looking shocked and stupefied. Believe it or not, this was the first he had seen of Lucca and Magus's spats. "You both aren't three years old! Get off her, Magus!"

Grumbling obscenities under his breath, Magus stepped off Lucca's chest and stalked off towards the throne. He tore off his cloak (which just so happened to be the purple one), covered himself with the blanket, rolled over, and appeared to go to sleep.

Meanwhile, Crono was gently helping Lucca, who was extremely red in the face, back up. What a man he was. Looking at her concernedly, his warm hands enveloping hers, he asked, "Lucca, what's the matter? What's gotten into you? I can't say it was totally his fault, because I have to admit, that was a low blow you aimed at him."

Great. Now Crono was involved in all this. This actually made that night in the forest seem like a laughing matter. Fighting back tears (but not so much about Magus's crap as it was about the humiliation connected with Crono's seeing everything), Lucca managed to spit out, "Y-you don't understand, Crono. He's been on my ass ever since Death Peak. It's like he senses weakness or something. I-I have to fight back."

Crono sighed, "I know it's tough siding with him, especially since he once was our enemy. Especially because of what he did to Frog. But we have to put that past us. We've got a bigger enemy ahead. We need him, and he needs us. If it weren't for Magus, I'd still be dead. And he kept you guys together so I could be revived. We owe a lot to Magus, Lucca. Just try to see things from his point of view. The Zeal catastrophe, the whole thing with Frog, and now he's siding with people that were out for his blood three weeks ago…and I mean, if YOU were raised by Ozzie, you'd have some issues, right? Just don't provoke him. Don't stoop to his level." With that little speech out of the way, Crono embraced her tightly and then let go of her, moving back to his side of the fire.

With much chagrin, Lucca made up her bed and lay down, seething at what Crono had just said. He just didn't understand, did he? And he probably didn't want to, either. All he did was just lecture her like a wayward child, not caring a WHIT about the whole picture, and seeing when things were secure (at least on the surface), he went back to his own little world, back to Marle and whatever sunshine rainbow happiness he always thought about. Maybe Magus, on a certain level, was right. Maybe she WAS surrounded by simpletons… And as for the big bastard himself, well, tomorrow she was sure he'd be saying and doing a few things in proclamation of his unconditional hatred for her. But she was going to give as much as he gave. She drifted off to sleep with that thought in mind, little knowing what the next day actually had in store for her. Forget a few proclamations. SHE was going to be in a war zone. 

A/N: Hope you liked it, even though I didn't. As I said, I like the next chapter a lot more, where there's actually some funny bits and they get out of damn Tyrano Lair. I HATE THAT PLACE! Anyway, I'll try to get done with it a little faster than usual and have it up so I feel better about it. 

Anyway:

Sailor Leo- Planning on updating Just Hungry? I've been following it lately and it's lookin' GO-OD. 

Kit Thespian- Red or pink? Hmmm... I've only heard about purple, so that's what I used. I know the symbol's a rainbow (oh, I could have fun with that!)

Imania- My fic's humor PALES in comparison to yours! It gets better with every chapter! 

Alba Aulbath- I'm glad you liked the breather chapter! In all honesty, I wasn't planning on doing the inn room chapter at all, but suddenly it just hit me. There's one more like it to come in the future, but THAT'S actually vital to the plot. 

Misao CG- Please don't hurt yourself! *I think it'll be hard to what with this chapter, though* 

Gen Masho Rajura- Somehow I don't see you reading this, but...I'm doing it anyway! I'm glad you thought last chapter was somewhat funny, at any rate. It just gets harder and harder to keep Magus IC, but sometimes he's just plain funny being himself! 

Thanks to everyone else too, for all those wonderful reviews! They've helped! I swear! Please review this chapter, too! They really psyche me up! 


	7. Girl Talk

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Chrono Trigger. I mean it! Really! Honest! 

A/N: Sorry about it being a little late, but I think you'll like this chapter anyway. Don't let the beginning fool you. It really does have quite a bit of Lu/Ma as things start to heat up. It's getting close!!! 

Chapter Six-

After cautiously stepping into the room, Lucca sprinkled some of the powder into a corner and set it on fire. With the room now illuminated, she stepped in further and motioned for the others to follow.

They had been slowly but steadily going further into Tyrano Lair, but still there was nothing of interest. No monsters. No Toma. No Rainbow Shell. The only treasure they had found was a helmet that apparently kept you from being confused, but what a fat lot of good THAT did in a place like this...

As everyone spread out in all directions to search for anything noteworthy, Lucca could not help but feel the tension between all of the group members. Usually when they went through a dungeon most everyone (well, you couldn't expect that kind of thing from Magus) was talking, laughing, and joking the whole way through, even when they were fighting monsters. But there was nothing today. Just...silence. It hung heavy. Could it have been that the spat between her and Magus had left a bad taste in everyone's mouths (or at least Crono and Marle's) ? Well, no use thinking about it. Lucca was in no mood to be joking around at the moment anyway, especially since for the last fifteen minutes she had noticed Magus giving her quizzical, almost annoyed glances. He was planning some crap, she was sure of it...

Crono went up to the large tyrannosaur skull that appeared to mark the only other way out of the room. Knowing of the magic imbued within it from experience, he lightly tapped the nostril area. The skull's jaw slowly dropped with a tired creak, revealing a dark hole. Crono cautiously stepped inside, squinting in the semi-darkness to get a glimpse ahead. "Crap! There seems to be a dead end!"

"Oh, no!" moaned Lucca, looking up from a careful search of one of the darker corners. "You're joking, right? You are, aren't you? ...But no... Toma found the same thing, didn't he?"

"Nooooooooo!" whined Marle. "And we came this far, too! All for nothing!"

"Wait! WAIT! There's a switch back here, I think, under this pendulum clock. Yeah, that's what it is!" He came back out of the skull, beaming at his discovery. 

"Hey! Look!" Marle had her arms out on either side, having apparently made a discovery also. "Two switches!" 

Lucca came closer to inspect them. "Well, that makes three now. But which one should we step on first? It could be crucial to opening a new doorway. We'll have to figure out a patt-"

"Shut it, four-eyes," Magus suddenly interjected, roughly pushing her out of the way and heading for the switch on the right. "Stop acting like you know everything." 

Uh-oh. Lucca suddenly realized something, just before he stomped on the switch. "MAGUS! STOP! THE HOLES! TOMA! STOP!"

Not surprisingly, Magus didn't listen and activated the switch anyway. A few seconds passed... He turned and flashed Lucca his trademark crooked grin, his aristocratic nose turning up even more than usual. "See that, geeky? I DO know what I'm doing. You're clearly inferior to me in every way, so for the rest of this place I suggest taking a back se-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" Marle's scream suddenly shattered the dusty silence. Lucca and the others whirled around. The princess was surrounded by two tubby, lightning-breathing reptilians, who looked to be very close relatives to the Terrasaurs and the Megasaurs they had encountered in 65 million B.C. 

"Hang in there, Marle! We'll get rid of 'em!" Crono quickly began casting Lightning 2 over and over again, shocking the dinosaurs to distract them. Seeing that Crono's power alone was not enough, Magus grudgingly began to Dark Bomb them also. Lucca stood and did nothing. If Marle was so beautiful and perfect, the she could just kill those monsters herself.

After the dinosaurs were just piles of smoldering carbon and Crono had pulled a hyperventilating Marle away from the bodies, he asked everyone in a strained voice, "Wh-where the hell did they come from? They didn't come from behind, that's for sure."

Lucca, who had been studying the ceiling in impatience while waiting for those damn Terrasaur things to just die already, had an answer for that. "They came from the ceiling, that's where. See that open trap door up there? That was triggered by the switch just now. So smartass-" -at this she turned to Magus- "-if I were you I'd consider DISCUSSING things next time before you go off and do something stupid."

"Hold your tongue, you weakling! It was nothing I couldn't handle, so why complain about it? But then again, heh-heh, if you had been alone...weak and geeky, that's what you are. If you had been alone you'd be dead by now."

Lucca shot a quick look at Crono. He appeared disgusted that his pleas for no more fighting had not been answered. Well, who CARED what _he _thought?! She shot back at Magus in an angry voice, "Look who's talking, pointy-ears! In the Ocean Palace Lavos took you out in one hit! You call THAT strong, you pansy?!!!!" 

Magus started toward her yet again, but Crono swiftly intervened. "Listen," he stated in a business-like voice, "as much as I'd like to stand here all day and watch you two verbally slap each other like a couple of kindergarteners, I can't let you do that. WE have to go. WE have work to do. There's another way out of this goddamned room somewhere, and we're NOT leaving till we find it!" 

They found that they had no other choice to but to press another switch. Everyone stood back as Crono activated the one on the left, and it was a good thing they did, because presently there was a rumbling and most of the floor began to slide away. By the time it had finished only a small area around the entrance and a narrow catwalk leading to the skull remained. Seemed like the way to go now was down...

After throwing rocks into the space below to see if it even HAD a bottom, Crono rummaged around in his backpack and produced a long piece of rope, which he then tied to one of the skull's teeth. Marle and Lucca peered downwards anxiously as he inched his way below, stopping only when the darkness swallowed him up and they could see him no longer. A minute later they heard his voice call up to them, "OK! I'm down! Everything's fine! The climb's only 25 feet or so!"

"Only twenty-five?" Lucca's knees quaked at just the thought as she watched Marle make her way down. How she hated heights! She had ever since she had done a header into the bushes from Crono's treehouse when they were ten. Even at just a mere eight feet she got all nervous and sweaty-palmed, making her very prone to accidents. And how she was going to survive this one, she had no clue. Why, on the Blackbird-

"Lucca, are you coming?" Marle's voice shouted up from below. "Hurry!"

Lucca, all at once, just totally freaked out. Collapsing on the floor and shakily cradling her head in her hands, she moaned, "I-I can't! I'm sorry, Crono, but I just can't! Heights make me sick! I'll just have to wait for you guys up he-"

"Oh, shut up, four-eyes," a voice growled from behind her. Shit. She had completely forgotten about Magus in the midst of all her anxiousness. Now he was going to rub this in her face for about forty years. 

  
"Hold still," he commanded, and before she could protest, she found herself in those strong muscled arms, gently heading downwards. Crap. She forgot that he could fly a little. She whimpered slightly, taking care not to look down, her head buried in his chest. But it wasn't so bad after all, she mused. For one thing, she was pressed up against that body of his... She could feel his firm, hardened muscles under his body armor, and that silky blue hair, so much finer and more beautiful than Crono's... His scent was so - so arcane; it was probably some kind of incense. Being so close to him now, she was even able to imagine what it might be like to just steal a little kiss-

"No! Not again!" her thoughts broke in. "He's my enemy, for crying out loud! Enemies don't have dirty, perverted thoughts for each other! And what's he doing, anyway? Being nice isn't exactly Magus's mission-" 

Her question was answered as soon as they reached the ground. Letting go of her, he suddenly leaned in very close and sneered, "Weakling!" So it HADN'T been for the common good. He had decided that her being in his debt would humiliate her. Suddenly, the world made sense again. 

It made sense for the rest of Tyrano Lair, too. Starting at that moment when they hit the ground on the new floor, Lucca and Magus stayed at each other's throats, constantly exchanging insults and just generally making the other mad. The monsters on this new level infested the area like roaches and they had to stop and battle quite often, but nothing kept the duo from yelling out one-liner barbs. During the course of this Crono and Marle looked on in wonder, seeing the whole thing, Crono rolling his eyes in what seemed to be a cross between disgust and despair, and Marle giving this small but knowing smile at what she thought was starting to happen.

"You call THAT a direct hit, four-eyes?! Pah, even with a gun to do all the work for you you can't even show some skill and hit somewhere vital!"

"Well, at least I look COOL with a gun, you dork! You just look like an idiot holding that big threshing reaper! Say, when are the crops coming in, Old Mac Donald?"

"You'll soon feel the power of this scythe if you don't shut your trap, metal head!"

During one particularly nasty incident on a flight of stairs Magus managed to trip her down a few steps, going, "Oops, was that your foot, four-eyes?" innocently as he passed by. Well, SHE showed him. When they ran into a group of about four Fossil Apes she just sat and watched, laughing and pointing obnoxiously, as they all decided to play a game of violent catch with his body. How he had cursed at her after Crono and Marle got him down! That was certainly a Kodak moment. 

Gradually, though, both the monsters and the insults slackened off, especially after they had to climb down another hole to go on (this time, by the way, Lucca had opted to climb). This was maybe in part because of the eerie silence that ensued as soon as they reached the new floor. It was strange. It was unnerving. Not a monster was to be seen or heard down here. It was almost as if something terrible lived down here, something that scared even the toughest of monsters away...

"Well, this is...odd." Crono's voice echoed in the stillness. So he felt it, too...

Marle choked on the dust that had been kicked up upon their entrance. "I- I don't like this, Crono. I don't like it at all. What's with this place all of a sudden?"

Lucca looked around. They were in a prison cell, Kino's old one in fact, when he had been imprisoned by the Reptites. The thick coat of dust carpeting the floor revealed that no one had walked these halls in a long, long time. The pair of Avian Rex ribs that had once been the prison door lay smashed and scattered. And in the back of the cell was a large, large gap, a gap that had never been there before...

Lucca started. "This is it," she said out loud. "It's back there, whatever it is. We'd better power up..."

Marle nodded and began to cast Cure on everyone while Crono gave out Shields. As soon as they were healed to full, Lucca went up to the gap, sprinkling and igniting the powder. Then the four walked inside, being greeted by an awesome but terrifying sight the minute they walked in...

The last time they had been in Tyrano Lair Azala had crowed about how indestructible his Black Tyrano had been. And apparently he had been truthful, because even after the serious damage they had inflicted upon it and the fact that sixty-five million years had passed, there it still stood. It looked even nastier than ever, perhaps because of the heavy rust that had accumulated on its heavy armor plating. And what a mean mood it seemed to be in, too. It recognized intruders right away, giving a roar and beginning the countdown, which was a nasty fire attack that took place once its timer reached zero. 

Lucca's first impulse was to run away, but resolve hardened in her when Crono shouted, leaping towards it, "C'mon, let's bust it up!" Marle followed him closely, and together they began to cast a dual technique, a stronger version of the Ice Sword, over and over again. The more spells they cast, the fewer times the Tyrano would be able to use the countdown spell, and the less charred they'd all be. 

Lucca stood for a moment and considered her first move. Finally, she just decided to go all out and cast Flare. No sooner had she done this when she heard a loud yelp...and it wasn't from the Tyrano. "Oh, crap!" she moaned. "Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap!" She watched in horror as Magus jumped up and down, attempting to beat out with his cape the flames crackling on his pants leg. He had probably planned to cast a Dark Bomb, as close as he had been to the Tyrano, and...Oh, shit!

"You- you BITCH!" he managed to snarl, writhing in agony from the sudden heat and seconds later, the other extreme (he had been forced to cast an Ice spell to extinguish the flames).

"Hey hey, I didn't-"

"SHUT UP! IT'S TIME YOU WERE TAUGHT A LESSON, FOUR-EYES, ABOUT JUST WHO'S BOSS!" With that thought in mind, he began to shoot small fireballs from his fingertips straight at her.

Lucca panicked. Not only was there a big, rusty Tyrano out to kill her, but there was a beserk Mystic King out to do the same thing as well (well, maybe killing her maybe wasn't what Magus had in mind, but injuring her was probably number one on his to-do list). Not thinking clearly, she quickly darted between the Tyrano's legs, a fireball singing her black shorts and near-missing her kneecap. 

No such luck. He followed with a vengeance, the fireballs increasing in intensity. Lucca looked around desperately, eyes finally locking on a large piece of scrap metal lying on the cave floor. She grabbed it and shielded herself, which made the fireballs bounce back and forced Magus to take cover behind a large rock. He still continued to shoot them, but now he had to duck as well. Lucca, with a wicked grin, began to toss a few herself. THAT would teach Mr. Pointy-Ears to screw with her! 

Suddenly a searing heat filled the other half of the cave. Lucca realized that the Tyrano had finished its first countdown! She hoped that Crono and Marle were well and uninjured, but she wasn't able to find out at the moment, due to obvious circumstances. "Damn you, Magus!" she inwardly cursed as a fireball hit her shield with a loud thud. "You're gonna get us all killed!" 

The fireball fight continued on for a good ten minutes, but after five things started to change. The attacks from Magus's side slackened off, and what fireballs he did shoot were weak and were just a little warm if they managed to come into contact with Lucca's skin. He was just sitting on the rock now, grinning and letting one fly about every ten seconds. He almost seemed...playful, as bizarre as a description of the person in question could be. Lucca smiled back and changed her mode as well. She would never admit it, but this seemed almost...fun. Dropping her shield, she started to make faces at him, trying to egg him on. He smirked and aimed one at her stuck-out tongue, managing to make her giggle. That smirk, as close to a smile as he could get, was actually kind of sexy...

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!" Lucca and Magus swiveled around to see Crono and Marle standing nearby, neither of them looking too happy. With a start, Lucca saw that the Tyrano was dead and all that remained of it was a smoldering, junk-strewn scrap heap. Well, at least they didn't need help anymore...

"WHAT DID I TELL JUST TELL YOU TWO?! YOU'VE BEEN AT IT ALL DAY NOW! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHOOTING THOSE FIREBALLS AT THAT TYRANO, NOT AT EACH OTHER! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS? GEEZ..."

"Um, I'm really sorry, Crono," Lucca managed to stammer in a wavering voice, "it's just that I set Magus on fire, and I-"

Marle suddenly felt the need to interrupt. "Guys! Shut up a minute! It's the Rainbow Shell!" She ran over to the back of the cave.

Everyone, forgetting about the last spat, followed her and saw indeed that sparkling there in the back of the cave WAS the Rainbow Shell. It was truly the epitome of prehistoric beauty, extremely large and harder than steel, with thousands of almost transparent colors glimmering on its surface like drops in a waterfall. The beauty that the legends rumored it to have were just a slight grasp of the concept. This thing was bigger and better than ANY story told of it. Lucca slowly placed her hand upon it, smoothing over its cold, polished surface, wondering about the kind of prehistoric creature that had been lucky enough to live inside such a place. 

Crono bent down and tested its weight with his hands. "Magus, help me lift this, will ya? Lucca, Marle, stand back a second." Crono waited as Magus bent over to assist him...

At this, Lucca licked her lips in delight. Magus had been forced to discard his cloak (some of her fireballs had definitely hit home) a few minutes prior, and his tight pants now left little to imagine... She smiled as he bent further down, enabling her to get a REALLY good look. "Mmmmmm, not bad," she thought, continuing to stare at his rear end. "Not bad at all. What a nice, sweet a-"

BOOM!!! Lucca jumped a mile as the Shell suddenly connected with the floor. 

"I-it's too much for us to carry," panted Crono. "Aw, crap! All this way just to get ahold of the thing, and it turns out that we can't even take it back!" 

"Wait!" exclaimed Marle. "Why don't we just ask King Guardia to take a crew down and retrieve it? They can use pulleys and stuff, as long as they know the Shell's location. Then we'll go to 1000 A.D. and use it from there! That way we'll have it right away!"

Lucca even had to compliment Marle's brilliant idea, considering she had so few. The entire group agreed that as soon as the Epoch was fully fixed, they'd get to Guardia Castle to talk to the King about it.

"He'll have a heart attack when he sees this thing," Crono commented. "This thing will make him richer than all the gold in the world combined!" 

Magus caressed its surface again with a gloved hand. "I do have to admit, it IS a thing of beauty. Such a thing would have made a wonderful decoration in my castle..."

Lucca snorted at him. "What, because rainbows are the gay pride symbol as well? Geez, Magus, pulling out all the stops, are you? Purple cape, long hair, now a shell representing a rainbow...you leave me no choice but to believe that you're, well, from the other side of the river." 

From that time on, their temporary truce was over.

***

It was now nightfall later that day. The group had headed back up to the surface outside of the cave to camp; even if camping inside the cave had meant a little more shelter, they could stand the stuffiness and claustrophobic confines no longer. Instead they pitched their two tents in the shadow of the mountain, enjoying a meal of dried roast mutton (it was considered a delicacy over in the Choras area) and, as weird as it sounded, toasted marshmallows. Lucca was overall tired and exhausted, but somehow amidst this she felt...happy. The search had ended, she had seemingly come out on top in the battle with Magus, and best of all, after tomorrow she wouldn't have to see his ugly face any longer (although she was perhaps pushing it in calling his form in any way ugly). Tonight she shared a tent with Marle, too. Apparently she and Crono had gotten the message that one night when Magus had pounded on the wall to shut them up. Although spending the night with Marle was by no means the best arrangement in the world, it DID mean that she wouldn't be having any verbal battles tonight. No insults. No being pinned against the wall. Sadly, it also meant no glimpses of Magus in his boxers, but that tradeoff was in her favor. 

It was close to midnight when everyone left the campfire and retired to their tents. Lucca was full ready to have a good long sleep, but Marle seemed to have other plans. "Lucca, I'm sooooo glad I've got you alone now," she said, getting into her sleeping bag. "It hasn't been just you and me for a long time now. We need to catch up. You know, girl-talk." 

If Lucca could have fallen off the earth and died right at that moment, she would have certainly been glad to do so. Girl-talk?! Now where did THAT come from? Wait, wait---if she had to sit for an hour and listen to Marle talk about Crono and their nightly activities, well, she'd probably go into the other tent to sleep with Magus all night. 

It didn't turn out that way, though. In fact, it was even worse. Marle took Lucca's silence as a willingness to listen and asked, "Lucca, what exactly is going on between you and Magus?"

Lucca was floored immediately. Never in a million years had she known she was going to be asked THAT question. Of all the stupid things...

"Nothing," she replied quickly. 

"Oh, come on, Lucca, I'm not falling for that! I KNOW these things!"

"Know what? That we absolutely hate each other?! There's nothing TO it, Marle! There's nothing secret going on! All of what we've been doing is right out there in the open!" 

"I didn't mean THAT, silly. I know it hasn't gone that far YET."

"Yet? YET??!! There will NEVER be a yet! He hates me, I hate him! It's a simple relationship, as simple as it can get! And there's the fact that he's gotta be ten years older than me..."

"Lucca, just spit it out already. I'm not that stupid. The way you always go out of your way to insult him... You like it, and he likes it. Notice how he smiles sometimes whenever you dish out a really smart comeback? It's like he ENJOYS someone around that's as smart as he is." 

Where the hell she got some of this crap, Lucca really wanted to know. It was time that place was burned down. She continued to protest, "Marle, you've got the idea all wrong! It's pure, unadulterated HATE that I hold for Magus, and nothing else. There's no attraction at all!"

"Oh, but there is, Lucca! Remember when he brought you down that hole? If he _truly _hated you, then he would've let you rot up there. No, instead he brought you down, holding you pretty tight, too!" 

"For crying out loud, Marle, Crono would have probably forced him to anyway! He didn't want to, he _had _to."

"Say what you want, Lucca, but I know this kind of thing when I see it. And as for that fireball fight...admit it, you were having fun. Both of you were! That's one of the few times I've seen Magus smile! That wasn't too nice, with just me and Crono fighting the Black Tyrano and all, but I'm glad it happened. Maybe you're starting to realize-"

"Good night, Marle." Lucca, unable to take this punishment any longer, suddenly turned over to go to sleep.

There was a sigh. "Well, good night, Lucca..."

Although she had been tired to begin with, Lucca was up for several more hours, thinking about what Marle had said. Of all the bullshit she had been fed EVER, this took the cake. There was absolutely NOTHING between her and Magus. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Even if she thought he was the tiniest bit yummy, there was STILL nothing. No attraction. Nothing. Never ever in a million years...

A/N: Like it? I did a lot more than the last one. I can tell you right now that I've got a VER-RY interesting situation in the next chapter. I laugh just thinking about it. And is anyone thinking that I should change the secondary category to humor or something? I didn't MEAN for some parts to be funny, but it just kind of slipped out. 

I've been following a bunch of new Lu/Ma fics and they all look promising! Keep it up, guys! And to all of you reading this just hang in there waiting for the start of the romance! It maybe begins next chapter, depending on how long some of it gets. I hope this chapter's hint of it was enough for you all. I'm very afraid of rushing this. Well, I'd better quit my rambling and hurry up and post this! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And please review again! There's nothing like the adrenaline rush when doing a chapter after getting a horde of wonderful reviews! 


	8. Magus Moves In

Chapter Seven- 

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger or anything having to do with it, and no, I'm not making money off this fic. Even if I tried, it would probably sell for what...a nickel?...maybe less? 

A/N: Sorry if I took awhile :D !! It takes me a long time to write these sometimes. I know I complain about this practically every other chapter, but THIS one was especially hell to write. However, it actually turned out to be...kind of interesting. I'm glad it turned out the way it did. 

"Right over there, Crono. I can't have it too far away from the generator." Lucca pointed to the exact spot where she wanted to situate the Epoch. Giving the handlebars a tiny thrust inwards, Crono propelled the vehicle slowly forward, finally parking it under the cool shade of a bent, twisted maple. 

Everyone clambered out, stretching painfully, all exhausted from the overly long and nerve-racking ride. The rear rockets had sometimes smoked a little and one wing wobbled precariously throughout the whole trip, making everyone extremely nervous, especially Frog, who still wasn't quite over his stomach virus. Well, Lucca only WAS human. She was good at improvising things so that they worked for a time, but without the proper components even she couldn't completely fix the Epoch. But that was okay. That's why they had come back to Truce. This meant two days of rest and relaxation in her own home for sure. 

Crono went around back to grab everyone's bags and packs. "So Lucca, how much time are you thinking it'll take? I'm afraid to ask, it seems like a big job, but-"

"Two days at most, if Dad helps me in his spare time. Making a pliable metal reinforcement isn't that hard, Crono."

A sigh of relief reached Lucca's ears. "That's good to hear. We can't afford to waste much time. As long as that Black Omen stays in the sky, there's no telling what could happen." 

"So what should we do in the meantime?" Marle piped up. "No offense, but hanging out at The End of Time for two days doesn't exactly make me want to jump for joy." 

Ayla wholeheartedly agreed. "No fun at all. Old man sleep much. Spekkio big pervert." Lucca shuddered at that one. She had thoroughly washed her hands once after finding Spekkio's "secret collection" located in a hidden drawer on a lamppost. 

Crono threw a faded purple duffel bag Marle's way. "Tell ya what, why don't we all stay at my house? Except for Lucca, that is. I'm sure you don't want us hovering around while you're making the repairs, right? That would just be cruel."

Lucca nodded and laughed. "Yeah, it would be. It's OK, just go on. I'll let you know when we're ready to go again."  


"Well, if it's all right with you and you don't need any help, then I guess we'll be goi-"

"But what about your mom?" interrupted Marle. "Wouldn't she object?"

Crono waved it off. "Aw, forget about it," he said, shrugging. "Mom would feed a band of carnies if I brought 'em home. Don't worry about it."

Lucca watched as everyone said their farewells to her, gathered up their stuff, and left. She heaved a sigh of relief as they all disappeared over a knoll in the distance, heading north into Truce. Finally, some REAL alone time. No Ayla trying to steal her Jerky every chance she got. No Crono and Marle snogging in the next room. And best of all, no Magus hovering around hissing like an angry goose every time she had a remote chance of being alone for an hour. "Bastard," she thought irritatedly, turning to go inside the house. But no, she had to forget. She wasn't going to let HIM ruin her good mood. He just simply wasn't worth thinking about. 

The first thing she saw upon entering the house was her father Taban wrestling one of their inventions down to the floor. "Dammit!" he spat, banging the prototype of what was going to eventually replace Gato into submission. "Why - won't - you - just - do - what - you're - urgh - programmed - to?!"

Lucca walked up to him and asked, "Having trouble, Dad?"

Taban turned his head, jumping a little in surprise at her sudden presence. "Oh, there you are, Lucca," he replied, narrowly missing one of the robot's flailing arms. "Kind of busy right now. Instead of cleaning the house all this thing does is attack me."

Lucca rolled her eyes and flipped the switch located on the robot's back. "Ever thought of turning it off, Dad?" She stared at the battered robot, shaking her head in frustration. "Must have been that code I used on the third circuit board. I KNEW something was up with that."

"So how's it been going, Lucca?" her father asked, putting a greasy hand gently on her shoulder. The two had always been close, especially since Lara's accident back when she had been seven, and often worked together on new inventions and prototypes. It was their way of bonding. 

"Oh, okay." They were close, but there was no way in hell she was going to tell her father about the events of the past week. "Still working on that mess with the portal the Telepod created." 

"Bad publicity we had, wasn't that? I've had to shut that area down completely. I only go to the Millennial Fair to repair Gato now and to empty his coin bank. You wouldn't BELIEVE the revenue we're getting from that thing."

"I bet. Um, hey Dad, if you're not busy can you help me fix something? It needs a good weld job and some metal reinforcement, as the very least. I know you're busy, but-"

"Say no more, Lucca. Of course I'll help. But for your sake and mine, can we wait till tomorrow morning? You look too exhausted to be doing anything right now. Oh, and your mom wants to talk to you. I've been worried for the last couple of days now, but that's nothing compared to how Lara feels. Go on now, you'd better face her wrath."

Lucca inwardly groaned as she reluctantly climbed the stairs at a snail's pace. Sure, she loved her mother, but she could be whiny and a little overprotective. She supposed there would be reason to be, seeing that she had one foot chewed up and one completely gone in result of the accident ten years ago, but she had a tendency to take her feelings out on everyone else. 

The door to the bedroom was slightly ajar, and Lucca quietly padded inside. Yep, her mother was there, knitting Taban a new sweater. Her eyes flashed as she looked up at Lucca angrily. Uh-oh... "Lucca, where have you been?" she scolded, dropping her needles and crossing her arms over her chest. "Your father and I have been worried sick about you, off doing God-Knows-What! You'd better damn well have a good explanation of why you haven't turned up for the last eight days!" 

Lucca sighed and braced herself for what was to come. "I couldn't help it, Mom! It was that Telepod thing we had set up at the Millennial Fair. I've been all over everywhere trying to fix the mess that thing made!" Sure, she was half-lying, but she'd probably be grounded for life if she tried to explain the whole time-travel concept. 

"Well, you could have told us where you were! Argh, that's your Father, all right! Letting you go off all over the country trying to fix a stupid machine! You and Taban, always playing with your silly little toys! Sometimes I don't even know why I married that man... It's time you both realized that family and friends are more important than machines!"

Lucca groaned softly. The way things were going, she might not even be able to leave in a few days. And then there was the usual tirade about caring more about machines than people. Didn't she GET it?! She was a freakin' outcast, for crying out loud! A geek! With the exception of Crono and the people she was traveling with, nobody her age would have anything to do with her. Machines were the only thing where she could appear as something's equal. Didn't her mother, after giving birth to her and raising her for seventeen years, even know that? 

Lara must have seen Lucca's slightly hurt expression, because then her features softened and she went on more quietly, "Lucca, I'm just worried about you. Can't a mother do that? It's just that-it's just that one day you'll want to settle down and have a family and you'll find that you have pushed everyone away. You're seventeen, Lucca. I was married at eighteen. You have to start thinking about these things. You have to stop running around everywhere and look at what's around you." As you could tell, Lucca's mother was definitely on the conservative side. 

Lara, stopping a minute to catch her breath, continued on, "I think maybe you should take a mother's advice and go out and make some friends, perhaps even get yourself a nice boyfriend. There are more nice people out there besides Crono. Lucca, if you just give people a chance, they'll warm up to you immediately. You're really quite beautiful, and-"

"I am NOT, Mom! Open your eyes!" This crap had to be stopped. Lucca's was a face that a mother could love, and that was it. 

"Oh, but you are! If you'd just get your head out of the tool box and wear something besides that oil-spattered old thing, you could be quite stunning. Just think about what I said, honey. Now get to bed. You look like you're ready to fall over in exhaustion."

Slightly put off by her mother's uncalled-for criticism, Lucca said a goodnight and hurried off to her room. No fixing the Epoch tonight. At least her parents were right in that. She just needed to chill out and get a good night's sleep. She had a good long shower, threw on her favorite pair of pajamas, and was lying on her stomach in bed reading a trashy romance novel (it was a closet obsession of hers) when...the door opened. 

Now this would have been quite commonplace if it had been her father on the other side of the door...but it wasn't. Oh, no it wasn't. It was Magus. And he had his sleeping bag. 

***

"What the HELL are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, four-eyes? I'm planning on spending the night."

"Then go spend the night at Crono's, dumbass! Not HERE!"

"Oh, and why should I?"

"BECAUSE I SAID SO, ASSHOLE!"

"PMSing, are we? Well, I'm going to stay here whether you like it or not."

"No, you aren't."

"Yes, I am."

"JUST GET OUT! "

"No."

"Yes."

Lucca threw her hands up in the air, looking around desperately for something to chuck at Magus. Nothing....well, there was that wadded up piece of paper sticking out of the trash, but if that hit him she'd end up feeling bad for it. Deciding that this was out of her hands, she said resignedly, "Then at least tell me why you left Crono's."

"If that idiot princess was trying to braid YOUR hair, I think YOU'D leave too." Lucca saw that this was a very good point, but she wasn't about to voice it. 

"But why did you come HERE?! It wasn't like this was your only choice! You bastard, you just did this to piss me off, didn't you?!"

The evil smile spreading across his face answered her question quite beautifully. 

Lucca almost threw a fit. Why couldn't he just leave her ALONE?! Now she'd have to take two or three days of being picked on in her own home, of all places. Forget the Kingdom of Guardia, the real people that had to put up with Magus's crap were the ones that had to live with him. 

"Well, have anything to say, four-eyes? No cheeky comment at all? My my, and I thought you had grown a real attitude of late. I guess I was wrong."

Lucca suddenly wondered what had possessed her parents to let him up here, and into her room, no less. Normally they wouldn't let someone as punkish-looking as Magus even set foot in the house. Wait...he hadn't HURT them, had he? Because if he had-

"Hey, fanghead, how the HELL did you get up here?! Somehow I don't believe for a second that my parents lost all sense of decency and let you in here."

He smirked. "Well, apparently they did, because here I stand. Want to go see, four-eyes?" 

Lucca went with him downstairs, becoming increasingly more suspicious with each step. What was he pulling, anyway? She soon found out when she spotted her parents sitting in the living room, both beaming the minute they saw her. And to her horror, she realized that Magus had wrapped his arm around her waist. Tightly. 

Lucca felt like she was in a horrible B movie. This had to be the most NIGHTMARISH scenario ever to take place in her short, miserable life. Well, maybe more like a nightmare with pink candy icing. That well-built, muscled arm around her waist was giving her shivers down her spine, and as close as she was to him now, she could feel the whole length of his body as accurately as if nothing was there... She had been a little surprised when she had seen just what was under that cloak the other night, but it was nothing compared to FEELING it. 

Lara was literally smiling from ear-to-ear. "Lucca, you never TOLD us about your new boyfriend! And here he was all confused when we didn't know who he was! Shame on you!"

"Uh...s-sorry, Mom..."

"Well, tell me, you two! How long have you been together?"

"Two weeks," stated Magus, his arm snaking further around her waist. "And I can tell you, she's the greatest girl I've ever had the pleasure to date. So smart and beautiful. You must be proud to have such a daughter." As dire as the situation was, Lucca fought the urge to suddenly burst out laughing. If only the rest of the gang could see him now... He was acting so unMagus-like that one had to wonder if he had hit his head at some recent point. Either that or Marle had been putting some boldly pink ribbons in his hair. She vowed to harass him about this later. 

"Well, she _is _our greatest gift," Lara was saying, still beaming. "I'm glad you realize that. Well, take care of her, young man! That's all I ask!"

A brilliant idea suddenly flashed through Lucca's brain. "Oh, Mom," she said casually, "as much as Janus would enjoy talking to you right now, I believe he's got an -um- errand to run. Come on, sweetums, you'd better hurry or it'll be midnight by the time you get there."

"Oh dear!" exclaimed Lara. "What an errand if it's nine o'clock at night! Well, you be careful, Janus. Take care!"

"Yes, take...care." He gave Lucca a tight hug (quite possibly bone-crushing on purpose) and hurried out the door. Lucca felt quite satisfied with herself at her ability to get rid of unwelcome visitors, until...

"Oh, my little baby, all grown up and with a boyfriend! I couldn't be happier! He's such a nice young man, Lucca! He's your perfect match, a perfect match!" Lara would not let this go. She was so excited about the whole affair that she began to pepper Lucca with questions. "How old is he, Lucca? Where is he from? Where did you meet him? Is he fun to be around?"

Lucca, of course, had to sit through this and fabricate lies about where "Janus" was from and how they had met. "Damn you, you BASTARD!" she thought angrily, as she was sweetly explaining to her parents that her "boyfriend" dabbled in dentistry for a living. "Playing with my head like this!"

As soon as Lara had been told everything she wanted to hear, she adopted a more serious expression and stated, "Well, Lucca, I couldn't be more happy about your boyfriend. As I said, he is a terrific young man. But I could tell that things are starting to get serious with you two. And I know I can't stop you, it's your decision, but if you DO do anything, you should use protection-"

Five excruciating minutes and many emotional scars later, Lucca finally got back to her room. She slammed the door, locking it from the inside, but no sooner had she done this when a very familiar voice rang out from behind, "Why so red in the face, four-eyes?"

She whirled around. Magus, of course. There he was, sitting primly on her bed, a wicked grin plastered on his face. Apparently he had LOVED the havoc he had just created downstairs. Dammit! WHY did she have to open that window earlier?! 

Lucca replied, "Oh, it's nothing. But I have to ask you something. Mom wants to know how old you are...sweetums." 

He smirked at her comment. "Why, I just turned twenty-eight...snookums. Is that okay?"

  
"Oh, yes it is. But I'm supposed to remind you that we can't really go all the way. We're supposed to use protection...sweetums."

"Oh, that's too bad...snookums. I was really looking forward to tonight. I even had the hot oil ready."

Suddenly, Lucca just blew up at him. She had TRIED, goodness knows she had VOWED to keep her cool in front of this insufferable Mystic King, but every time she really faced him her fuse became magically shorter. "YOU BASTARD! I HATE YOU! HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE AND LIE TO MY PARENTS! AND ABOUT BEING MY BOYFRIEND, NO LESS! AND FOR THE RECORD I'D NEVER _EVER _ HAVE SEX WITH YOU, NOT EVER! NOT IF WE WERE THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH!"

Magus crossed his arms and gave off his trademark smug grin. "Well, you don't have to worry about that, four-eyes. Even if it came down to you and Ozzie, I _still _wouldn't choose you. Want to know the reasons? First of all, I've seen Ogans more attractive than you are. I believe that you are the UGLIEST thing ever to traverse the plains of the living. How could you not be, what with your boyish build, your giant glasses, and a face that would force even Lavos to run away in fear? Secondly, I hate you. No, I take that back, hate is too small a word. I ABHOR you. In fact, I should kill you for your lack of disrespe-"

"Oh, shut up, Prince Asshole! I think you should go-" She never DID get to tell him where exactly he should go, however; because in the blink of an eye she found herself -yes, you guessed it- pinned against the wall.

This time was different from all the others, though. For some reason, Lucca didn't feel...afraid at all. In fact, as perverted as it sounded, it seemed rather...arousing. Maybe it was because this time he was using his knees to keep her in place, and that got him considerably closer, his body almost pressed against hers. Maybe it was because his hands weren't against the wall or balled against her neck; this time they were merely resting gently on her shoulder. And no sadistic grin on his face; instead he conveyed no emotion at all, with just a set stare that perhaps hinted of...puzzlement? 

"Get away, Magus," said Lucca quietly. Her voice sounded dead and alien to her, and cut through the still air within the room like a knife. What was happening?! Could it be-

Much to her surprise, he released her and backed off, but continued to study her quizzically, eyes narrowed and mouth drawn. He almost had the look of a trapped animal, Lucca noted. They just sat and stared at each other, both bewildered, for what seemed like hours...

Finally, the tension grew to be too much. Something had to be said. Lucca suddenly blurted out, "Eeeww, gross! You really need a shower, you know that, fanghead? You've got enough B.O. to choke a horse!" Personally, she had no idea if he smelled or not, but getting him in the bathroom would at least separate them for a time and give her a few minutes to sort out what went on. 

The reply was dry and bleak. "Come again?"

"I SAID, go take a shower! You really, really smell! Bathroom's over there!" She pointed to the door of her bathroom, which adjoined the bedroom. Again, to her surprise, he just shuffled off towards it, not saying another word. 

Lucca stood stock still, shocked and confused beyond her conscious mind. But why? Nothing had really happened that hadn't occurred before...or had it? That intense look he had given her a minute ago...and the close quarters they had been in, which he had done by choice...or had he only done it to keep her from moving? Was her intuition real, or was it a full-blown exaggeration created by her cruel mind because it had nothing better to do? Thoughts continued to spiral throughout her head, circling and circling in a never-ending whirl, until-

Sssssssspppppppppphhhhhhhht! Lucca jumped about a mile when she heard the sound. "Calm down, calm down, it was just the shower going on," she muttered to herself. Walking over to her bed, she went on, "Well, no use worrying about all this. It won't last forever." Lying down on her stomach, she resumed reading her romance novel, but for some reason it was really hard to concentrate on about why Belinda was betraying Lucille. Oh hell, she KNEW the reason. The reason was what was behind the bathroom door. The slightly ajar door was just torturing her; it would be so easy to just take a peek without him knowing-

"NO," a firm voice in Lucca's mind stated. "What if Magus caught you? He'd probably Dark Bomb you all the way to hell and back. And remember Crono. You'd be betraying Crono if you did this. You like Crono, don't you? Don't go wasting your time with this bastard." 

Another voice chimed in, "Oh, come on, Lucca! You know you like this one! You like him, don't you? And he's so different than that goody-two-shoes Crono, too! So dark and sexy- AND he's intelligent..." 

Forgetting about everything else for the moment, Lucca closed her eyes and debated with herself about what exactly WAS going on. What were her thoughts on Crono? What were her thoughts on Magus? Had she actually FALLEN for Magus, or did she still just hate him? Or perhaps maybe did she both love and hate him at the same time? "Argh, it's so CONFUSING!" she thought. "I don't even know what's happening anymore!"

***

"Don't get too comfortable, four-eyes! That's where I'm sleeping, if you didn't know!"

Ten minutes later found Lucca looking up at Magus, who was acting very much like his annoying, bratty self again. Well, looking at his FACE would be more accurate, as he was wearing practically nothing again (his boxers were black this time!) and she was as good as busted if she looked anywhere else. 

"EXCUSE ME?" replied Lucca in a shrill voice, her previous thoughts suddenly going forgotten. "I believe this is _my _bed we're talking about?! Mine, and no one else's! Go sleep on the floor, asswipe!"

"Don't get that way with me, girl!" growled Magus in that now well-known dangerous voice. "If you haven't forgotten already, _I _am royalty. _I_, unlike you, deserve BETTER than the floor. NOW GIVE ME THE BED!"

Lucca threw up her hands in mock resignation. "Well, hop in."

"WHAT?!"

"I said, hop in. You want the bed and I'm not moving, so...hop in. I know it's a twin bed and all, but it'll work if I get on top. Well, come on. What are you waiting for? You said you wanted the bed, right?"

Words could not express the mixture of fury and horror on Magus's face. "H-How DARE you!" he cried out, blushing slightly. "How DARE you suggest I sleep with something as ugly as you! Now shut up and give me the bed!"

"No. Extra blankets and pillows are in the closet over there."

Cursing angrily, Magus had no choice but to comply. He made himself a bed on the floor nearby and, lying down, positioned his back to her. Seemed Prince Brat was in a little huff for not getting his way...

Smiling, Lucca turned off the light. She couldn't have been happier. Seemed she was winning more and more of these battles... Well, even if she did like Magus, just a very very little (maybe she did more than she would admit, even if it was to herself), she STILL wasn't planning on letting him get away with things, especially in her own home. She forgot about the affairs of the whole night, having already worried enough about it all, and quickly went to sleep.

Magus, however, was a different story. He stayed awake for a very long time, cursing himself for what he had done earlier that night.

He had taken a cold shower. 

A/N: You like? You not like? Hmmm.... Well, that reminds me: if you thought Magus was definitely out-of-character, remember this: at the time he was a very, very desperate man. Then there's the fact he probably wanted to go and make Lucca miserable _anyway..._

The kiss is coming next chapter! I promise! It's just that I kind of wanted to talk about the growing tension between the two. And I thought the thing with the bed was too good to pass up *snicker* 

Thanks to:

Kit Thespian: I never even noticed that when I was writing! I should have maybe cleared up that he was probably just close enough to do a Dark Bomb or something, and one of the fireballs from the Flare spell hit him. Well anyway, thanks for mentioning stuff like that. If I REALLY mess up or create myself a huge plot hole, at least I'll know about it. 

The Dragon Sorceress- Oh, no! There's a club?!! 

Nova Strike- Don't worry! The kiss is coming! And there will be many more of those after the first one!! :D

Whining Lunatic Kidd Fan- Magus is high on my cute list, too! Right along with Vincent from FF7 and Irvine from FF8! *Drools*

Gen Masho Rajura and Belladonna Jaide- Yes! I've changed the secondary category to humor! Just watch now---now that I've done it it won't be funny anymore. 

Akai Kuu- I STILL don't know what I'm doing! I don't think I ever will...

LobstersAHOY- It's so hard, isn't it? I think that's what spurred me on to do this fic. Hmmm...well, if you haven't already, if you like Lu/Mas go for the fics written by Sailor Leo, Imania, Warui Nekochan, and Nova Strike. And I'm sure there are others! Keep looking! Try 'em, you like 'em!   
  
Imania- Thank you for the compliment! I tried not to make mine funny at first, but, well...it didn't work that way. I think from now on I'll just stick to humor because if I ever write tragedy and someone's boyfriend ends up dying, the fic will end in disaster. 

Wingnut: Huh?

JadeAnime: Yes yes, much more to come. And I'm pretty sure that was your first review. I know how it is; I get confused to who I review too! 

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed, too!! It really helps me!! And please review again! Pleeze? Reviews are brain food for fic authors! 


	9. He's Sure Merciless With a Garden Hose

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger, all rights belong to Squaresoft. I am not doing this for profit and am not gaining a cent. 

A/N: It was a tough choice between PG-13 and R for this chapter. This is my first fic and I'm not good at rating things. After reading can anyone tell me through a review if this is correctly rated or not? I really don't know myself. 

Anyway, as it says in the summary, here's the kiss! AND IT IS WITH MAGUS! *Dodges various pointy missiles* Just get past the first few paragraphs or so and you'll see what's really going on. 

The misty haze rising from the steamy water eddied and whirled around the hot tub, making it hard for Lucca to see the shadowy figure at the other end. She peered through the mist, trying to fathom the expression on his face, waiting eagerly for him to make his move. 

"Oh, Crono, why are you making me wait?" she asked him plaintively, idly popping a bubble with one finger. "You know the water's going to get cold."

"Oh...is there a problem?" Suddenly he moved forward and into her view. Mmm, he looked even better than usual. His normally spiky hair lay flat and slicked down, wet from the water in the bath mingled with his sweat. His face, mottled and red from the heat, was curved upwards into a seductive grin. Lucca's eyes immediately slid down to that beautiful, well-muscled chest that glistened with moisture, but couldn't see anything below that; the layer of sweet scented bubbles covering the water did their job well. 

"Come here," she barely whispered, beckoning him closer, "Come over here..."

He obeyed immediately, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her passionately with an almost feverish air. Lucca moaned loudly, kissing him back, giving him back every ounce of what she had received. They continued like this for several minutes, getting closer and closer together, until-

"Oh, Crono!" With that last cry Lucca sat up straight in bed, one hand over her chest in an attempt to slow its rapid beat.

Allowing her head to drop back onto her pillow, she slowly turned over onto her side, her legs creating friction with the sweat-soaked covers. It had just been a dream, she admitted to herself with an unhappy sigh. But it had been so real...

Groggily rubbing the sleep from her eyes with one hand, she tried to remember where she was and what was going on. Oh yeah...from the looks of it, she was back home. Oh yes, everything was coming back now, the Epoch, the Quest, Lavos, and- Unfortunately everything, she inwardly groaned as she spotted the blue head poking out of the covers on the floor, still apparently asleep. "Thank God for morning amnesia," she thought, rubbing the back of her stiff neck. "Otherwise I'd be waking up crying this morning for sure."

Deciding that it would just be wrong to be a sitting target for Magus's pithy barbs about bad hair and horribly bad breath later on, Lucca decided to get up and see what was going on outside her room. Going by the sounds of it, SOMETHING was happening out there. She walked downstairs and into the living room, only to be greeted by a highly unusual sight. Her father was struggling with an extremely loud, ugly tie and her mother was seated on the sofa hastily packing clothes. But...where were they going?

"Oh, Lucca!" exclaimed Taban, suddenly noticing her standing in the doorway. "We were almost ready to get you up!"

Lucca, thanking the Lord he hadn't, allowed Taban to usher her into the kitchen. Slamming the door behind them, he told her in a serious voice, "Listen, Lucca, your grandmother's taken a turn for the worse, and-"

"You mean...Nana?" That was Lara's mother who lived in Porre. 

"Yes, that Nana. Your mother and I have to go. This really might be the last time, so we must-"

"Um, Dad, I- _I _don't have to go...do I?" It sounded cold-hearted, being said out loud, but Lucca could really feel no attachment for a woman that she had seen all of twice. And then there was the whole debacle with the Epoch...

"No, Lucca, you don't. I don't think this is exactly an event for young people. Just watch the house while we're gone."

Lucca let out a sigh of relief. If it was between not fixing the Epoch or being stuck in an empty house with Magus for a few days...well, she'd have to go with Magus on this one. "But marginally," she tried to convince herself. 

"I know you still have that mess with the Telepod to deal with, so I'll give you this," Taban continued on, giving her one of the house keys. "Just don't tell your mother I gave it to you. If you have to leave, then make sure you lock up. Oh...and I'm sorry I couldn't help you with whatever you're repairing. Why don't you get your boyfriend to help you? He looked like a strong young fellow. But no fooling around while we're gone! I don't relish the idea of having grandchildren at such an early age." 

"Well, you don't have to worry about THAT," Lucca muttered, blushing slightly at even the thought, as she left the kitchen to go see her parents off. To tell the truth, she absolutely NO idea how she was going to survive the next few days without being brought out in a straitjacket. Even if he _was_ extremely yummy and had the intelligence to back it up, Magus's abundant upishness had the ability to drive even the sanest person up a wall. 

***

Five minutes later, Lucca re-entered the kitchen only to find the offending person sitting at the table sipping coffee. How dare he! He was giving off distinct go-away vibes, but Lucca decided to give him a piece of her mind anyway.

"You complete and utter IDIOT! My PARENTS could have seen you! What a fine time I could have had trying to convince them that I'm not DOING anything with you!"

"That's none of my concern, now is it, four-eyes? Now I suggest clearing off before I _really _get mad. You just don't realize exactly WHO you are talking to, do you, geek? I should be getting the respect I deserve. I was the one who defeated Cyrus-"

"Oh, cut the jabber! Who could possibly respect YOU?! Your ego's bigger than YOU are! And as for getting mad, go ahead and GET mad! Dark Bomb me, cut me in two with your big rusty farm implement, hell, even waste your energy and make a Black Hole! You'll just be stuck here for a long, long time, that's all!" 

Scrambling out of his chair and practically knocking it over in the process, Magus started towards her, fangs bared, but after about halfway he just...stopped. That still didn't mean he wasn't mad, however. Hands shaking uncontrollably and face slowly turning an interesting shade of mottled purple, he was just too angry for words. "You- YOU!"

Lucca, although wondering why he just wouldn't come and corner her as usual, smiled at him. She most definitely had the upper hand. "Oh, shut up, Magus. And for crying out loud, get some pants on. You're helping me with the Epoch today, and-" 

Ah, now he had his voice back. "I am most certainly NOT, four-eyes! Such servant's work is BENEATH me!" 

"Oh, all right then," said Lucca, smiling and shrugging, initiating her backup plan. "I guess it's for the best. I kinda wanted to invite my friends over and show off my new boyfriend anyway. After all, my parents know about him, so why not my friends?"

"You WOULDN'T!" There was an almost desperate tone in his voice. 

"Oh, yes I would."

"I will NOT allow you to invite those idiots over and have you make a fool out of me!"

"Then get dressed and meet me outside." 

"Oh, very well," he growled, stomping up the stairs back up to Lucca's room. "But I will not forget this!" 

"That's nice!" Lucca called up to him as he slammed the door. She REALLY would have preferred to just let him sit and skulk in the house, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Getting help from Crono and the others would have been an option, but then somebody would probably see Magus. THAT would get Marle talking, and already being the self-proclaimed matchmaker that she was, she would never let it go. Better off not to bother them...

***

Fifteen minutes later Lucca, forgoing her usual orange getup for just a normal t-shirt and shorts, came out of the house, toolbox in hand. Magus was already there waiting for her, leaning against the Epoch and scowling. 

"Oh, looking happy, aren't we? Well come on, the first thing we're doing is removing that wing." 

It was a perfect morning to just sit and fix something. The sun shone brightly on the plains, and a slight breeze tickled its way through the air. The only thing missing was a decent helper. Although Magus did as he was told and he certainly was able to lift things that she could not, he grumbled his ass off practically every time he moved. It became grating to the ears after awhile. 

Under Lucca's instruction, they removed the wing and proceeded to add the metal plating in a time span of about four hours. After that, the sun became hot and it became increasingly difficult to work, so she decided to call for a break. She ran into the house and came out with a tray of lemonade for the two of them. But when nearing the Epoch she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was a garden hose. A working garden hose. And Magus was sitting perched on one of the wings. With his back to her. A golden opportunity if she ever saw one.

SSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTT! "AAGH!" His first reaction was to shake the water from his sopping wet hair and to glare at her with narrowed eyes. "Well, that wasn't very nice, four-eyes. I guess this means you have to... BE TAUGHT A LESSON!" With that intention in mind he jumped up and began casting water spells on her. Not as good as the garden hose, Lucca thought as they both began to duke it out, but she was still getting wet. Finally he got close enough to wrest the hose from her grasp and give her a taste of her own medicine. Thirty seconds later Lucca found herself huddled under the Epoch, trying desperately to avoid the wrath of the hose. She was cold. She was wet. And she was having the time of her life. She giggled insanely as she stuck her foot outside only to have it immediately sprayed. 

The water stopped for a second. "Come along now; I won't spray you," Magus called from outside, practically on the verge of laughing himself. For some unknown reason, he seemed to be rather enjoying the whole thing.

"Oh, and why should I believe YOU?!"

"You can come out now, four-eyes! Really! I'll stop!"

"No, you won't!"

"Yes I will! I really will! I mean it!"

Slowly, Lucca emerged from underneath the Epoch, only to...GET A FACEFUL OF WATER! "I knew it!" she screeched in indignation, diving back under. "I knew you were lying!"

"Of course I was, four-eyes!"

After getting on her hands and knees, apologizing, and promising that she would never ever get Marle to braid his hair, Magus smirked and finally threw down the hose, helping her up and remarking, "Hmpfh, look at yourself. Even uglier than before, if at all possible."

"Well look at YOU, handsome! YOU look like you drowned in the river!" He truly did. Lucca had done her work well before the garden hose had left her ownership. 

"And whose fault was that?" he retorted, undoing his cloak and taking his shirt off, much to Lucca's secret delight. His shirtless self looked even better wet than it did dry. Kind of like Crono's in that dream...except ten times better. Trying not to stare, she averted her eyes and went for the lemonade tray that was still lying in the grass by the house. Her clothes were currently plastered to her body, and she was feeling a little more than self-conscious at the moment. 

"So why don't you try laughing a little more often?" she asked him, pouring him a glass as they sat together on the ground near the Epoch. "I mean, half the time when you're fighting with us you act like there's a twig rammed up your ass."

She half-expected him to be angered at that comment, but instead he just replied, "I don't know, I never have much reason to laugh, I suppose..." He trailed off, but then thought better of it and added, "I can see where you're going, geek. If it's service with a smile you want, then forget it. I might be helping you, four-eyes, but that doesn't exactly mean I'm happy about it." 

"Well, it's better than Marle putting ribbons in your hair, right?"

"All right, I stand corrected. Compared to that, right now I'm ecstatic." 

***

It was around eight by the time the Epoch was completely finished. Lucca was very happy with the way things had turned out, and even more happy that she had seen a lot of Magus's -how to put it cleanly- rear end. Right now she lay on the porch swing on her patio, absolutely exhausted, reading her book. The light was failing and it was getting harder to read, but she wanted to enjoy the outdoors as much as she possibly could.

"Hmpfh, now what kind of rubbish is THAT, four-eyes?"

Lucca jumped about a mile as she realized that Magus was sitting at the other end of the porch swing, staring at the cover of her book. How long he had been there, she had no idea. She turned beet red but tried to ignore him. 

Her hopes were in vain. "My my, quite the perverted little geek, aren't we? Let's see now, what's the title... A Love to End All Bounds? What a fitting name, considering there's a half naked man on the cover. You don't ogle men, do you, four-eyes?" 

Lucca's eyes flashed. "No, but I know YOU do," she snorted, dropping the book and sitting up to face him. If it was a fight he wanted, he was going to get it. "In fact, I'd better keep this book away from you from now on. I don't want you getting all hot and bothered every time you look at the cover!"

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, come on, Maggy. You can't hide it FOREVER. Just look at you. You are the true _epitome _of gayness, the shining example of which all gay men look up to-"

"SHUT UP! I AM NOT GAY!" He was so angry that spittle flew out of his mouth. Another Kodak moment. 

"Oh yeah, sure you're not! Admit it: you're gayer than a French Horn. After all, wasn't it you that said you would rather have Ozzie instead of me? Ozzie is male AND he's outside of your species!"

"Well, ANYONE would have Ozzie rather than you, you pasty-skinned, four-eyed little _weakling_!"

"Oooh, and what about everyone else, too?! I bet you, Ozzie, Slash, and Flea had your share of good ol' times! Tell me," Lucca said excitedly, leaning in, "does Flea have a-"

"SHUT UP! HOW SHOULD I KNOW?! I DON'T KNOW AND I DON'T CARE!"

"Touchy, aren't we? Oh, and hey Maggy, I just remembered something ELSE you said to me. Didn't you also say you thought Ogans were more attractive than me? Does that mean you like THEM, too? Oh, and they have hammers! Oh, and what about Alfador-"

"ALL RIGHT. YOU - HAVE - GONE - TOO - FAR." Angry was simply not the word for Magus's mood at this point. He was absolutely ENRAGED. Leaning in towards her slightly, he said in a very quiet but deadly voice, "Now, before I blast you into oblivion I will take the liberty of telling you _exactly _what I think of you. First of all, calling you a geek is an insult to their kind. You are an absolute piece of SLIME, an incredibly horrible example of the human race that deserves to suffer. You are incredibly ugly, and in fact, you are the ugliest female I have ever had the misfortune to lay eyes upon. And worst of all, you dote upon that fool Crono when you have absolutely no chance whatsoever for him to even give you the time of day." 

Magus gave off a sadistic grin as Lucca let out a choked sob, tears immediately streaking down her face in reaction to his cruel observations. He was the last person she wanted to cry in front of, but she absolutely could not bottle up her feelings, which she had harbored for so long, any longer. And, going by the fluctuating energy ball that grew steadily in one of his hands, she would probably never have a chance to let them out again. 

"I hit a nerve, didn't I, four-eyes? Well, you and I _both _know I speak the truth. You thought I knew nothing about why you were bawling in the forest that night? And what about the things you say in your dreams, like this morning, for example?! It's quite _obvious _that you're smitten with the spiky-headed idiot. Too bad Lucca Ashtear isn't PERFECT enough for the idyllic Crono. It's no small WONDER why he chose the princess instead of YOU, four-eyes. _Anyone _in their right mind would."

He gave her a hard, unfeeling stare for a moment, literally savoring her radiating pain, then continued in a softer but no less menacing voice, "Pathetic, four-eyes. That's what you are. Pathetic. I doubt you have even had a boyfriend, much less kissed anyone. Too bad you never will."

Lucca sensed that his speech was coming to a close, but she really didn't care anymore. Everything was as he had said: she _was _pathetic. While her life had good points, the bad outnumbered them all. And then there was Crono. _Especially _Crono. He was the only one that had EVER stood up for her when she was picked on when she was little. EVER. And now to have him snatched away like this-

"G-go ahead!" Lucca cried out, her body shaking so hard that she couldn't move. "Do me a favor and put me out of my misery! You're right! You were right all along! Just please- please make it quick..." With one last breath she closed her eyes and waited for him to follow through. 

It never happened. Lucca waited and waited, but for some unknown reason he wouldn't grant her this simple request. After a moment she slowly opened one eye, wondering what he was up to, and that was when a most shocking thing occurred. That was when he leaned over and kissed her. 

Her first thought was to push him away, that he had no right to be playing with her like this, but she found that she had no resolve. She was enjoying it too much. He was too...good for her to push away. 

Almost as if someone else's mind was in her body, Lucca leaned in further and pressed herself against him, kissing him back. Magus responded by forcing open her mouth and kissing her even more deeply, his arms wrapping themselves around her and gently massaging the small of her back. She stroked his beautiful blue hair, with almost a frightened air, gently, marveling at how silky to the touch it was.

Finally, he tossed his hair and broke the kiss with one last stroke of his hand on her back. For a moment they just stared at each other, with no malice or hatred on their faces. Just confusion. Or maybe hunger.

Both at the same time they dove at each other, lips meeting again. Lucca moaned as he gently wiped tears from her face and stroked her temples. Hmfph, forget Crono. Crono was no comparison to this guy. 

Both in desperate need of air, they parted again after a mere ten seconds, still looking at each other in confusion and wonder. Slowly putting his hands on his lap, Magus was the one to regain his voice first. "See? I KNEW you were inexperienced."

Lucca suddenly remembered what had been going on BEFORE the kiss and flared up again. "How DARE you! How DARE you say that! You have NO right to give me a psychoanalysis of what's going on in my life! I HATE YOU! Leave me alone! FOREVER!" Sobbing, she slapped his face with all of her might and ran up to her room, leaving an equally bewildered Magus to sit alone on the porch swing.

Magus just sat there, stunned, slowly rubbing the red mark on his cheek with a shaking hand. He had screwed things up. Yet again. 

A/N: Whew! Again, I hope Magus didn't seem OOC for you! I'm just trying to show a different side of him. Well anyway, hope you liked the kiss! I've never written romance before EVER, so I found it a challenge. And PLEASE tell me if the rating is wrong! Maybe I'm overreacting but I don't want my account suspended if it is. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews; I never DREAMED I'd get this many. Keep 'em coming!

Well anyway, guess I'd better jump on the bandwagon and give you some recommended reading if you like Lu/Mas. I by any means do not know of all of them out there, but here are some good ones that I can think of right off:

Campfire: by Sailor Leo (It's a one-shot, but it's hands-down my favorite!)

Just Hungry: by Sailor Leo (if you're Schala and Frog fans read this one!)

Cats, Hair and Evil Good Wizards: by Imania (you'll pop a lung laughing!)

Akin to Love: by Rhianwen (for some reason I almost cried reading it!)

The Prophet's Apprentice: by Dark Creation (he just started it!)

Struggle for Happiness: by Dark Creation (different take; alternating POV's!)

Epokku no Ummei: by Warui Nekochan (another one of my favorites!)


	10. Rats! I'm Stuck With HIM!

Disclaimer: Don't own Chrono Trigger; that's Squaresoft's job. 

A/N: If you haven't done all the sidequests or played the game through yet, this one may be a little confusing. I'm more or less trying to concentrate on the whole Lucca/Magus thing instead of the actual sidequest, so don't be surprised if I didn't clearly explain some event that went on in the game; the way I wrote it, it's implied that the readers already know. Sorry if it gets weird! :D

"What did I ever do to deserve _this_?" Lucca muttered to herself, staring up at the roiling black mist that the End of Time was mostly comprised of. Shifting slightly because of the uncomfortable, cold metal railing, she wiped away a lone tear that was trickling slowly down her face. She stared at her wet finger, becoming almost angry at the sight of it. HE, of all people, was making her cry. It just wasn't fair.

It was now the morning after, but time had changed nothing. She was still as angry and confused about Magus as she had been last night. "That bastard..." she thought, tensing up at even the thought of him. "Playing with me like that, as if he really meant it..."

Lucca had called Crono up, telling him that the Epoch was done, and they all had arrived together at the End of Time a few hours prior. There was really no reason to go here anymore, seeing that they no longer had to use Gates, but Crono wanted to pepper Gaspar's insanity-riddled mind with questions as to what to do next. They REALLY didn't have the weapons and items to defeat Lavos, if that encounter in the Ocean Palace was any indication, and the old coot always gave out clues to where the best stuff was hidden. 

"That BASTARD!" a little voice in Lucca's head suddenly piped up. "He goes from wanting to kill you to kissing you within two seconds! He's clearly playing with you, Lucca! He _wants_ you to be confused. He _wants_ you to fall for him, so he can cruelly reject you when you need him most."

The opposition was soon to follow. "Remember that kiss, Lucca?" the other voice chimed in. "Remember how wonderful it was? Well, that's because he's your MATCH, Lucca. He kissed you because he wanted to, not because of some dirty little game you think he plays all the time! Give him a chance to come around..."

"Well, at least remember the things he said to you, Lucca! The things he said about you wanting Crono were unforgivable. And then he goes and kisses you! The NERVE!"

"But the point _is _is that he ended up kissing you! And with quite a bit of tongue, I might add! Does that seem very Magus-like to you?! He would only DO something like that if he somewhat ca-"

"Oh, THERE you are, Lucca! Almost didn't see you in that corner back there!" Lucca, her thoughts interrupted, looked up only to see Crono standing nearby, with the usual goofy grin pasted sloppily on his face. "I can't believe I never realized just HOW goofy," thought Lucca with disgust.   


"Oh, hey, Crono. So what's going on? What are we doing today?" She winced at the sound of her own voice. It sounded so dry and croaky, almost as if she had worn out her larynx from sobbing for half of the previous night. And for good reason, too...

Crono's face fell when he saw the mood she was in, but answered her question anyway. "Remember that woman we met in the Middle Ages, her name was Fiona? It was on our way to Porre, and we asked if we could spend the night? Well, all those trees she had been taking care of are gone now. Everything's desert. And Gaspar says we should fix that." 

"But WHY?" Lucca wasn't exactly happy upon hearing this little announcement. She had been disturbed for THIS?! "We might as well fight Lavos if all we're gonna do is plant a couple trees!"

Crono shrugged. "I don't know either, But Gaspar said to do it, and he's never been wrong about treasure before. So why not, I guess? We're too weak to fight Lavos at this point anyway." 

Lucca sighed in resignation. Great. Now everyone would KNOW something was up with her. "Oh...well, I don't care, I guess," she said tiredly. "So we're leaving now?"

"Yup. Everyone's waiting by the Epoch. Let's go." He started to walk away, but then, thinking better of it, he stopped in his tracks and turned around, staring at her with a puzzled look on his face. "Um...Lucca? I wasn't going to say anything, but...are you OK? You look sort of - well, I don't know - run down. Like something bad just happened to you."

Feigning nonchalance, Lucca stood up and dusted off her jacket. "Oh, it's nothing," she lied. "I'm just so tired from fixing the Epoch, that's all. I was up all night with that thing!"

"Well...if you're sure, then." He gave her one last look, one that as good as said he knew a LOT more than he was revealing, and left the room. 

Lucca followed, delicately picking her way around the many portals into different eras, a black hole slowly growing in the pit of her stomach. What would Magus DO when she saw him face-to-face for the first time since the slap? There was really no way to tell, as she had made sure to avoid all contact with him earlier that morning when everyone had piled into the Epoch to head for the End of Time. All she knew was that she would absolutely go postal if she learned that Magus had only done it to play with her head. But...how could something that had felt so GOOD be so mean-hearted? Everything about the whole episode confused her greatly. But that was Magus. EVERYTHING about him could be confusing. 

***

Lucca threw a pebble down the hillside, watching it bounce several times before it landed somewhere in the vegetable patch below. "Geez, this sucks."

Upon arriving at Fiona's villa, they found that almost the entire area had indeed been turned into a desert and the cause seemed to be the giant sandpit that was currently whirling around about a quarter mile from Fiona and Marco's backyard. Knowing the risk involved, Crono had split the group up and headed down, bringing with him (thankfully) Marle and (even more thankfully) Magus. Everyone else was waiting here at Fiona's. And had been for a good five hours. 

The sun was getting hot, and Lucca was becoming quite bored. She was sick of wallowing in her own self-pity, to tell the truth. What had happened had happened, and there was no way to change it. But she still felt so BAD... 

She looked around at everyone, perhaps hoping to maybe find some companionship, maybe even somebody to talk to about...THAT. At the moment everyone was sitting apart, scattered here and there on the hilltop, currently either sleeping or in quiet reflection. Frog was out of the question. Not only would he tell her to totally forget about possibly EVER entangling herself with Magus again, he'd probably suggest that she impale him with his own scythe. Ayla wasn't a good idea, either. Going by the conversations the group had sometimes at campfires at night, HER idea of deciding of who was the one included things like -er- trying him out. Attempting to "try out" Magus, even if there was the small possibility that deep, deep down in his heart of hearts he cared for her just a little, would probably be like trying to corner a rabid bobcat. It just wasn't going to happen. Geez, there was just no one to talk to about something like this----wait, there was Robo. Lucca mentally slapped herself at not having thought of this earlier. Robo was probably the PERFECT being to talk to; being a robot, he would be impartial to either her or Magus and would think out the whole affair logically. And besides, he was her friend and she trusted him as much as any human (and perhaps more than most!) Yes, this was as good an idea as anything.

She found him sitting quite placidly under a tall, majestic oak, indeed one of the few trees still standing in the entire area. He appeared to have his external sensors turned off (as close to asleep as a robot could be), but immediately became alert again as she sat down on the ground beside him. "Greetings, Lucca. May I be of service?"

Lucca, who had gotten very used to his quaint, polite manner during the course of their travels, asked him, "Um, yeah... Um, can I ask you something?" When it got down to it, it was downright HARD to tell anyone about this. 

"Of course, Lucca. I will answer anything that of which you ask to the best of my knowledge." 

"We-ell, it's not that kind of question, Robo. It's not a question that you really know the answer to, but I'll ask you anyway. What if someone that hates you -not someone that just dislikes you, but REALLY hates you - does something to you that makes you unsure about whether or not he hates you anymore or not? And what if that action makes _you_ realize that you're unsure too about whether or not you hate him still back?" Damn, this was hard to explain. The way she was putting it, it barely even made sense. But there was _no _way in hell she was naming names, even to Robo. This was strictly between her and Magus for the moment. 

  
Robo's eyes lit up for a moment, but he seemed to get all of it. "I am not human, Lucca. I can only to a certain extent simulate human emotions and feelings, but I will try my best to answer your question. Having noticed a significant change in your behavior of late, I can only be concerned for your well-being and wish to help."

"A change in...my behavior?"

"I have noticed a change in your behavior patterns for about ten days. At first I credited it to the fact that Crono had perished, but the pattern continues to persist even after he has been revived. And today you especially do not look good, Lucca. It appears as if you have recently had an emotional outburst."

"You mean...you know I've been crying?"

"Affirmative. And Crono appears to have noticed your actions as well. He has not told anyone, but he seems quite concerned about your health. "

Lucca rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Well, I don't know what to say..." She really didn't. So Crono DID know that something was up. Of all the people that had to know about this, why HIM?! Although the idea seemed far-fetched, she hoped that he didn't know about EVERYTHING... Being the idealist he was, he would try to put a stop to the whole thing, and geez, she didn't know if she even WANTED this sudden new thing with Magus to stop, considering it ever started up again. But that was why she was asking Robo for advice. 

After a moment Robo continued on, "As for your question, Lucca, I believe that your ability to be open-minded is one of your best traits. If you see the possibility of this person becoming your companion and wish to change things, then it is in your power to do so. As long as you allow the past to stay in the past, then anything is possible."

"I know it could happen...but should I do it? Will it cause me more pain later on? And I have no idea if M -um, this _person _I'm talking about - will even want to have anything to do with me. I wasn't totally to blame, but I said and did some things before that I now regret." 

"I cannot say, Lucca. It is ultimately up to you to what you do in the end. The only thing I know is that in the course of history many terrible things could have been prevented if only one person had held out their hand in friendship to another. Your situation is quite similar, just on a smaller scale. Remember that before you act."

Lucca cracked a small smile. Patting the robot's metal arm affectionately, she said softly, "Thanks, Robo. You're the best. I still don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I think I'm a little more s-"

"Hey, guys!" She was cut off by a shout further downhill. Standing up, Lucca sighted Crono, Marle, and Magus about halfway up, all almost unrecognizable due to the wet sand and dust caked all over their bodies. And, upon a closer look, it appeared that not only did everyone desperately need to bathe, but all three had some kind of injury or other. Crono had a bump on his head the size of Death Peak. Marle had two skinned knees and a black eye. Magus, however, seemed to be the worst off. He had a huge gash all across his left arm and was still trying to staunch the bleeding with his cloak. Lucca had this sudden urge to go and kiss his arm. He seemed so ATTRACTIVE, all dirty and sweaty like that... 

"Well, do you even _want _to know what happened?" Crono asked Lucca, panting from the hot afternoon sun.

"Humor me. I do."

"We dropped down that huge pit and found the place overrun by monsters. Not just your normal monsters, either. They seemed to be mutated somehow. The only one of us that could even scratch them was Magus. We kept going further and further in, and then we saw-"

"Oh, it was horrible!" Marle piped up, having reached the crown of the hill. "We had to fight this giant skeleton thing, and it just wouldn't die! The only thing we could do was cast ice spells and then try to hit it while its guard was down!"

"It was a pretty close battle," said Crono, gently feeling the tender bump on his head. "We all ran out of magic power after awhile, and we looked like goners. I guess everything's all right now, though. We got out okay. The stupid thing's dead."

"It might be dead, but the trees won't be growing back any time soon," noted Lucca. "Fiona's seedling will revive the forest, but it will take a long, long time to scatter the seeds."

"I know, Fiona's not gonna be too happy. I guess we'll have to tell her, though, and we might as well do it now. Come on." Crono started to head further uphill to the house, waving for the others to come along.

Lucca followed, sighing with relief. She had managed to act normal in front of everyone, and as one of the people was Magus, that was no small feat. And another plus: she had finally seen him and knew what she was going to do, or rather what she was NOT going to do. And that was reconcile with him any time soon. 

During the whole conversation with Crono, he hadn't ignored her with disdain as was his usual manner, but rather he had stared at her very intensely. 

It had been a stare of pure ice.

***

Scowling irately, Magus continued to nurse his left arm, which over the hours had grown quite stiff. He leaned back further against the log, trying to get into a comfortable position.

(_Goddamned thing. I saw that beam a mile away, so why did I just stand there and let it hit me?!)_

His frown deepened as the sound of loud laughter reached his ears. Goodness knows he had TRIED to get as far away from the fire and the people that had built it as he possibly could, but things were just not going to work out for him. Even in a big huge forest. 

__

(Idiots. As if going through all that work just to save a church wasn't enough. Now they've broken their own record of stupidity and have decided to have a weenie roast in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. Oh wait---there IS a reason. Never mind. They're celebrating the fact that Scrap Heap came back. Hmpfh. For all I care, he could have STAYED gone.)

Shivering slightly from the cold midnight air, he removed his cloak and covered himself with it. 

__

(Maybe I should _go by the fire. But then again, maybe I shouldn't. _SHE'S _there.)_

He unconsciously rubbed the angry-looking red mark on his cheek. It still hurt. As did his pride. 

__

(Little four-eyes really did a number on me, didn't she? But perhaps I even deserved it. I know I cut her quite deep...)

(It's beyond me about how she can be so attracted to that simpleton. I would never admit it to anyone, but perhaps I even actually...envy...him...)

(She's so brilliant. The majority of anything I say goes right over everyone else's heads, but she catches every word. And her strong spirit! And fast wit! I know no one else that has the cheek to reply to me with a remark every bit as cutting as the one I dish out. It makes things rather...interesting. And she's not bad-looking, either. In fact, she's unaware of how good she actually looks...)

(And that spiky-headed fool cannot even see what's right in front of him! It's such a waste...)

(I still cannot fathom why I kissed her. It was the most idiotic thing I could have done. Although it felt quite good... Surprisingly good... But that doesn't mean it wasn't bone-headed. I'm sick of pretending, but I have no other choice. She'll never look at me the way she does him...)

(Oh, what the hell am I thinking?! Anything I had or could have had with her is now over. And I can't allow her to grow close to me anyway. Eventually...eventually she'll just get hurt. She'll disappear from my life like everyone else...)

***

"Move, move, MOVE!"

"Omigod, is it REALLY noon?!"

"Affirmative. 12:01 p.m., to be exact."

"We must hurry, Master Crono! With every hour that the Black Omen hangs in the sky, things become more dire for us." 

"Shut up, all of you!"

"Get your filthy hands off my bag! I've got jewelry in there!"

Lucca forcefully kicked dirt over the remains of the campfire to smother the coals and embers that still burned. Narrowly avoiding bumping into Frog as she ran over to roll up her sleeping bag, she took a second to look up at the sky.

Noon. She couldn't BELIEVE they had overslept for so long. Now half their day was gone. Damn deep campfire conversations and the chaos that ensued from them! 

"Hey Lucca. What this?"

Lucca turned around only to see Ayla holding the Gate Key. Weird... How had it gotten on the ground? It was usually stowed safely away in Crono's pocket. But never mind that...

"Ayla, give that here, will you? That's a delicate piece of equipment, and-"

"All right, Lucca. You catch!" With a grin of absolute delight, Ayla forcefully lobbed it in the air at Lucca. 

"Shit!" Lucca panicked. She didn't want that thing breaking anytime soon. What if the Epoch didn't work at some point? THEN where would they be?! Desperately, she judged where it would fall and jumped there...only to trip over someone. 

"Ouch! Dammit!" They both fell over each other and onto the ground with a thump. And it must also be mentioned that the Gate Key fell right along with them.

"Crap!" Lucca suddenly became aware that she was right in the middle of a giant blue Gate. It sucked her and the other person inside and closed itself, transporting them to only God-Knows-Where. Lucca closed her eyes; Gate-traveling made her rather dizzy.

When she was safely at the other end, she slowly opened her eyes. She was in a cave. A dark, drippy cave. A blizzard howled outside. Despite the fact that the Key was with them, the Gate never reappeared. 

"Damn my luck," she muttered, trying to disentangle herself from Magus. 

A/N: Ooooo! You can only guess what happens NOW! The two of them all alone in a cave, and they can't even leave! They'd better start being nice to each other or they might become...bored. 

I'm very well aware that I didn't mention that one part where Lucca time travels the night of the campfire to keep her mother from ever being crippled. I actually did that on purpose. Why? Because I want to keep the plot strictly Lucca/Magus and nothing really on the side except for the inevitable battle with Lavos. I'll probably end up mentioning it later, just so ya know. It's just that I stink at novelizing things and I know that I stink, so I try to spare everyone the punishment of having to read something that doesn't really have much to do with what's going on. I hope nobody's miffed! 

I see everyone thought that I wrote the kiss well, so I've decided to do more of that kind of thing. I didn't put a lot in before because I didn't know what reaction I would receive. No mush, though! Oh God no! I'll give it a sarcastic approach or something. Well, I'd better go and post this. Please review! The ones I've been getting so far have been so *sniff* wonderful! *cries in happiness*


	11. Arrogant Wizards and the People Who Love...

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Chrono Trigger. Gee, I'm sorry if you were mistaken. That's for the happy people at Square. 

A/N: Man, this just gets more and more challenging to write. Updates might take a little over a week now that I'm back in school, but just hang in there. We'll finish this! 

"Would you give it up already, four-eyes?!" Magus snarled, stomping his foot on the ground. "We're stuck here whether you like it or not!"

"Oh, shut up! You don't actually want to STAY here, do you?!" Lucca was playing around with the Gate Key, trying to get the Gate that had deposited them there to 

re-open. No such luck, though... Magus was standing nearby, arms crossed over his chest, looking extremely irritated. 

"No, I most certainly do NOT want to stay here. It's dark, it's cold, and there's YOU, no less. But you prancing around like an idiot with that key is getting annoying. It didn't work, it's _not _working, and it _will _not work...so stop showing off your I.Q. and put it away!" 

Lucca turned towards him, feeling vexed beyond her wits. "Oh, and what does Princey here suggest?!" she growled at him in a loud voice. "We just sit here, hold hands, and wait to die?! Yeah, _that _sounds like a comment from a person with a three digit I.Q number!" 

"I don't know if YOU noticed, four-eyes, but we're still quite far from dying. We're in a cave, protected from the elements, not to mention I was holding my pack when your idiot self crashed into me like an oaf. That means we've got both food AND items to last out the blizzard. Once it ends, we'll leave and try to find a Gate. But then again," he added sarcastically, tossing his head, "maybe your precious Crono will come to the rescue and save us the trouble."

"I don't know what business it is of yours to monitor my love life," Lucca said quite coldly. "but you seem to be keeping quite the tab on it. My question is: why? Now if you'll excuse me," she said, turning and brushing past him, "I've got more important things to do. Like count the snowflakes." Heading for the entrance of the cave, she started a decently-sized fire and, sitting near it, proceeded to view the raging blizzard outside. It was better than just standing there and arguing with Magus, anyway...

Lucca hadn't seen too many blizzards nastier than this one. Beyond about two inches from the entrance of the cave, she couldn't see a thing. Just swirling whiteness. The cold air bit at her skin like sharp fangs, and had it not been for the fire, she would have had quite a time staying warm indeed. She removed her helmet and chucked it to the ground; its cold metal did not exactly make it seem inviting to her head. Yeah, it protected her from the freezing drops of water that constantly fell from the roof of the cave, but having a permanent ice cream headache wasn't exactly one of her life's goals. No, her life's goal was to get out of this predicament alive and sane.

Geez...what a way to spend the next three or more days. And with Magus, no less. Lucca wanted to hurl just thinking about it. 

Nothing had changed too drastically between the two of them. Yeah, he had stuck his tongue in her mouth and she had slapped him (he still had the mark on his face to prove it!), but his behavior hadn't exactly changed since. He was still his normal 

pain-in-the-ass self, thankfully. She'd probably be more frightened if he acted otherwise, at any rate. 

But that WAS the problem. He still WAS a pain in the ass. That meant some miserable days coming up. She would see him. All the time. Magus in the morning. Magus in the afternoon. Magus in the evening. Hell, she'd probably even dream about him. Well, she supposed dreaming about him wouldn't be _too _bad, maybe she'd get another kiss---ugh, she _had _to stop thinking about him in such a way! He'd been a jerk. He WAS a jerk. A complete ass. Nobody could BE much more of an asshole that Magus already was; it was physically impossible! 

But she still couldn't figure out why he had kissed her. Even more so, she couldn't figure out why she had enjoyed it. His motive probably had been to play with her head, for crying out loud. His pretending-nothing-had-happened facade told her as much, anyway. 

Ah, well. She was sick of thinking about him. She _had _been thinking of him constantly for the past three plus days. She'd definitely have to think about him in the future, if the blizzard kept gaining momentum. _She was just sick of thinking. _

Flowers. Crono. Dalton's gay hairdo. Chicken strips. The Millennial Fair. The hallucinations one had when drunk on poi. Magus's lovely rear end-_oops! _ Ozzie's chin rolls. Pink chimpanzees. 

Eventually her thoughts again strayed to the current situation. How that Gate had suddenly appeared and disappeared like that was beyond her. The Gate Key COULD trigger the opening of previously undetected Gates, but usually they stuck around a little longer than just to drop everyone off. And that spelled trouble. What if the blizzard took a long time to end? What if Crono and the others couldn't find them? For once in her short life she prayed that Magus was actually right about not being in a dire situation. 

"Just where exactly AM I?" she said to herself.

"Tut-tut, four-eyes! And you're always crowing about how incredibly intelligent you are! What a shame you can't live up to your words!"

Lucca whirled around only to see that Magus had crept up behind her at some point. How long he had been there, she had no idea. Smirking, he went on, "We're obviously somewhere around the Ice Age, if this blizzard is any indication. How close we actually are to 12,000 B.C., I have no idea. For all I know Zeal might not even be up in the air yet." 

"What gibberish are you spewing _now, _you ass?! Didn't I tell you to STAY AWAY?! And if I didn't, I'm telling you now! So...stay away!"

"Angry because I'm smarter than you, geek? Hmfph! There ARE people out there a lot more intelligent than you, including me, if you didn't notice before."

Lucca rolled her eyes. "Oh, can it! And what are you here for, anyway?! The only time you ever approach me is when you want something! So what is it?! Does His Majesty want his feet oiled and rubbed? His nosehairs plucked, maybe? Obviously you're not here for my company, so out with it!"

"I DO NOT HAVE NOSEHAIRS, FOUR-EYES!" 

Lucca wiped the spit from her cheek. "Geez, I said out with it, you idiot, but not that way! And I'm still waiting! As much as I'd like to talk about you and your nosehairs right now, I'd like to save the everlasting joy for another fun time. Now WHAT IS IT YOU WANT?!"

"I need assistance in setting up a tent. Obviously the only other person in the area is YOU. So get over there and help me! NOW!"

Lucca smiled at him sweetly. "Oh, does Princey need help?! From little ol' me? Why golly gee, I'm so flattered. And here I thought he was perfect." 

"I'm not perfect, but I'm a lot better than YOU, geek," he snorted. "Now get the hell up and do as I asked! I will _not _ask you again!" He stomped his foot.

Lucca stomped hers back. "What if I don't want to?!"

"Then I will have no choice but to-"

"Bomb me?! You've never done it yet, you pansy!"

"Don't be so sure that I never will, you little ingrate!"

Lucca stood up. "Oh, all right! ALL RIGHT! I'll help you set up your damn tent! But then PLEASE stay away! I've had more than enough of you already!" In all honesty, she had intended to help him with the damn thing all along, but getting him riled up was a lot of fun. Even after a day she had missed his annoying barbs...  


***

"Will you go a little faster already, four-eyes?!"

"Oh, shut up already! YOU were the one that wanted me to do this!"

No, this was not a snippet from a badly-written romance novel. In all reality, Lucca and Magus were attempting to pitch a Shelter inside the cave, and failing miserably. They had to pound in the first two stakes at the exact same time and with the right amount of force, or otherwise the stupid thing would collapse on them as it had ten times before. And it didn't help that teamwork wasn't exactly Magus's forte...

"WHY do we need this up again?!" Lucca threw up her hands, exasperated. "I really don't see the point of putting up a tent IN THE MIDDLE OF A CAVE! This is the stupidest thing I've ever done!"

"Do YOU want your hair to have an extra wash while you're sleeping, four-eyes? Not that it doesn't need it, but-"

PINNNGGG!!! Both stakes finally made it all the way into the cold, frosted ground. Lucca let out a sigh and ran her hands through her messy purple hair. "Whew! Those things should be more user-friendly!"

"Well, it all depends on the user," Magus sneered. 

"I got that, you moron!"

"I'm very much amazed that you did!"

"Oh, shut up! And let's finish this, shall we?! I recall saying that I didn't want to be around you any longer than I had to, and the feeling hasn't changed!"

"Hmpfh!"

***

The darkness fell early that night in this unknown age, and six o'clock (more or less, neither knew for sure) found Lucca and Magus sitting at opposite ends of a bonfire in which they had joined forces to create. The red-orange flames created dancing patterns on the rough cave walls as they flickered merrily; wood and brush were not needed for the upkeep of magically-induced fires. The blizzard still continued to roar on undisturbed outside, and there seemed to be no break in sight. Yes, it looked as if they would be here for awhile. That is, if they weren't dead or clinically insane before this was over. 

After having a most sparse meal of Jerky and dried fruit, Lucca and Magus had since proceeded to sit around the bonfire and officially do nothing except to throw the occasional angry glance in the other's direction. And that was it. How incredibly exciting.

But that wasn't all. There was another thing, too, a feeling that hung heavily in the still air like a lead weight. It was a feeling of...tension. Yes, as weird as it sounded, the feeling was tension. And it was coming from the other side of the bonfire. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Lucca thought, her arms wrapped around her knees tightly. "I'll be wishing I was drunk before this is over..."

***

"Will you quit staring at me, geek?!" Magus's harsh comment rang out from across the fire, startling Lucca slightly. He just wasn't going to quit, was he?

She raised her eyebrows and replied scathingly, "Don't flatter yourself, fairy boy! You really have nothing to stare at!"

"Dirty little mind, huh, four-eyes? Who would have thought it from _you_? Hmpfh!"

"Oh, hmpfh yourself! Is that all you can say?!"

"Don't provoke me, four-eyes! If I become angry, someone's leaving, and it's not me!"

"Oooooooooooo, I'm so scared! I'm shaking in my shoes over here! ...You know, Maggy, you should quit it with all the threats and everything. They really don't work at all. They just make me laugh."

"Oh, really?! And what makes you think I won't suck you into a Black Hole right now?!"

"Because nobody that sucks people into Black Holes cries about their big sister after they think everyone's asleep, like you do!"

Instantly, Lucca realized that she had gone a little too far. Schala had always been a sensitive subject on Magus's part, and insulting him using HER, well, it just wasn't right. Her hunch was correct, because before the next second had passed she found herself (where else?) pinned against the cave wall by Yours Truly. 

She had thought he had been furious during the episode with the throne. No, that had just been a warm-up, a mere GLIMMER of how mad Magus could possibly get. No, THIS was Magus at his angriest.

His face was the palest, most deadly shade of white Lucca had ever seen. And as for the expression on it, well, it went without saying that it was one of absolute rage. His gloved hands, digging tightly into her shoulders, shook uncontrollably, as did his knees, which effectively pinned her thighs to the rough cave wall. Things were not looking to good at the moment...

His face just inches from hers, he intoned in that soft, deadly voice, "You've really gone too far this time, four-eyes. No one, and I mean NO ONE, has the right to speak to me in such a manner. No one, least of all you, has _any _idea what I've been through. Do you realize that?!"

Lucca's pounding heart threatened to pop right out her chest as his grip continued to tighten. This looked like it was it... WHY did her mouth have to run off like that at most inopportune moments? Especially when she never usually _meant _it when she said such things... 

Magus, after his brief pause, leaned in yet further. "Are you afraid of me?" he breathed on in a half-whisper, his warm breath slightly tickling her chin and causing her to inhale sharply...  


At that moment Lucca quickly came to a decision that forever would change her life. She was sick of trying to figure things out; and she wanted to know...for sure. "No," she replied flatly, and without a moment's hesitation she went on tiptoe and kissed him fully on the lips, making sure to wrap her arms tightly around him in the process.

Magus's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't pull away. In fact, as soon as he had sufficiently recovered from his surprise, he drew closer, slowly forcing open her mouth and allowing his tongue to meander inside it, eliciting a gasp from his partner. His hands, which seconds ago had so tightly gripped her shoulders, now gently massaged them...

Lucca was in heaven. So he really DID care to some degree. Otherwise he would have pulled away, or blown her up, or something... She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, as his hands gently wandered up to rest in her tangled hair, giving it feather-light strokes and making her shudder with delight in response. The first two kisses had definitely been good, but they were nothing compared to this one.

They slowly broke away from each other about ten seconds later, their hearts pounding, both desperately gasping for air. Lucca noticed as she regained her breath that Magus was gazing at her warily, as if she was going to sprout wings and fly any second now. His intentions, however, were cleared up as he dove for her again, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and indulging her in what was this time a harder, more bruising kiss. Lucca responded to it happily, pressing herself closer against him and reaching up to run her hands through his silky blue hair. "He's great at this," she thought, smirking inwardly. "If only I had known just HOW great before..." 

They broke away again, panting slightly, but this time there was no hesitation. Their lips met again, and again, and yet again, each kiss more hungry than the last. They stopped in between times only to breathe and to exchange little quips whose only purpose seemed to be to accelerate the situation.

"Geek."

"Bastard."

"Four-eyes."

"Ass."

"Poindexter."

"Idiot."

"Smartass."

"Snob."

After the last kiss, Magus slowly withdrew from her, a pained expression on his face. "I-I can't do this, four-eyes..." He removed his hands from around her waist and slowly backed off, looking confused.

Lucca felt every bit as bewildered as he looked. "W-why not?" What was going on? Had that previous exchange actually been for nothing?! 

Magus suddenly looked sure of himself. "I _know _what you're up to, four-eyes!" he spat, raising his voice. "I will _NOT _ just be a pawn for you to manipulate! I am not that spiky-headed fool Crono nor will I replace him!"

  
This time it was Lucca's turn to raise her voice. "Did I ever say that, you idiot?!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot. "Did I ever say that?! I can tell you this right now, you AREN'T Crono. You're nothing like him, and in my mind you'll never _be_ like him! Crono---he was my childhood crush; it was just puppy love, but I was too stupid to realize it... You-you're different."

Magus's eyebrows raised slightly at her statement, but still she continued on with her explanation. "I've spent a lot of time with you in the last few days, whether I wanted to or not, and for awhile I spent a lot of that time moping about Crono and Marle. I didn't realize it, but slowly as the days passed I thought less and less about them and more about, more about-well-YOU. You know, about what an ass you were and that I just wanted you to _go away _and leave me in peace, but -well- underneath it all I thought differently. I actually _enjoyed _your company instead of loathing it. I-I never said anything, I still clung on desperately to the fact that I thought Crono was the one for me and you were out of the question, but-but-"

For the second time that night, shock had registered upon Magus's face. This was the _last _thing he had expected to hear. EVER. "W-what did you just say?!"

Lucca threw up her hands in frustration. "You HEARD what I just said, fanghead, and I'm not repeating it! I want you, and not Crono, and I don't want you _because _of Crono! Is that hard enough to comprehend?!" 

"I-I-" He stood there, stunned, words being unable to express just exactly how he felt inside. There was one action that did, however. In one swift movement Magus suddenly went up to Lucca and swept her into a huge embrace. 

"I apologize..."

"Why? For what?..."

"For staying silent, for hiding it..."

"Why? Why did you? Surely you noticed-"

"I never noticed anything! The only thing I saw was you fawning over that 

spike-headed simpleton. I knew it wouldn't be right-"

"What's so wrong about it? I want you and apparently you want me, so what's stopping us?"

"Nothing, I suppose... After all," he muttered, kissing the base of her neck and making shivers run down her spine, "it _would _be a waste not to, considering what we've both had to go through to get this far. Tell me, when did you -er- realize?"

"Oh, I don't know... I didn't even realize what was going on for awhile. It kind of hit me in the face after that night at my house, and that's when I knew... What about you?"

"Tyrano Lair, although I denied it to myself," he replied with a wry smile. "I couldn't fathom why I acted the way I did. Well, underneath I suppose I DID know, but I wasn't going to act on it. Why would I act on it if I knew your eye wasn't turned towards me in the first place?!"

"Oh, but it was," said Lucca, grinning and massaging his chest with her hand. "Really, fanghead, for such a big powerful wizard you sure don't pay attention sometimes."

"Oh, don't get me started, four-eyes," he shot back, grinning also. "But in all honesty, I'm tired of straightening this all out. Let's do--let's do something...else."

"Gladly," Lucca replied, pulling him closer and allowing him to kiss her neck repeatedly. This time he used his fangs, nipping her tender skin gently, forcing her to groan delightedly. She responded by caressing his face, giving special attention to the red, blotchy mark she had caused on his cheek two nights previous. 

They stayed like this for a long, long time, enjoying each other's company, not caring what had happened in the past or what would happen in the future, but finally, Magus pulled away for the last time, commenting, "Come on, we'd better get back to the fire. You'll catch cold if we stay here. And I'm willing to bet you're sick of that bumpy cave wall..."

Making sure the fire was well-tended, they both went into the tent afterwards; it was quite late, and as they had lost track of time being "preoccupied"...

They both crammed into Magus's sleeping bag (yeah, that brought them into close quarters, but that was all right) and prepared to drift off, feeling comfortable and satisfied for once. 

Lucca muttered sleepily, her head buried in Magus's chest, "I hope they find us tomorrow, or the blizzard ends, or something..."

He absentmindedly ran his hands through her hair, replying, "It's all right. It _will _be all right. Just remember, four-eyes, you've got a wizard with you; one that almost toppled the kingdom of Guardia single-handedly. If I can't get us out of this, well, then no one can."

"Oh, good night, you arrogant bastard," Lucca muttered into his chest, yawning and closing her eyes. 

A/N: Yeesh! I think it was a tad on the mushy side, don't you? Ah well, at least I'm not having them call each other sweetums or, worse yet, muffin-butt. I would even have to flame MYSELF if I did that. And is this the end, you ask? No, it ain't! There's more trouble for these two to come! 

Well, anyway:

Rhianwen: Ummm...I noticed the other day that you had a PG-13 version of one of your Lu/Mas. What happened to it? I was looking for it so I could read it, but it wasn't there. 

Azalai: Hope you lived through that terrible wave of mush! And how's your story going? I can't wait to read more!

Gen Masho Rajura: Nooooo!!! Don't explode! Please! Then there will be nobody to help me rate things! 

Imania: *squeals* I can't wait for that sequel! I just can't wait! Well...I guess I can. Good luck to you if you plan to write it! 

Thanks to everyone else, too! I couldn't have done this without your help! And please remember to review, of course. Reviews make me happy! They help me write the best I can! 


	12. Paranoid Wizards and the People Who Love...

Disclaimer: Me no own! Me make no money from this! You no sue!

A/N: Writer's block is an evil, evil thing, take it from me. There was originally supposed to be more in this chapter, but I couldn't even get that far. Ah well. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Upon waking up, Lucca immediately became confused. Even considering the number of times she had slept in inns or even around a fire, the way she had awakened today just seemed...unfamiliar. She groggily squinted up at the bright orange, pointed ceiling of the Shelter she was in, trying to piece together the events of the past day. 

(_Geez, where am I? This is NOT familiar, not at all...)_

(Urgh...Sometimes morning amnesia is heaven on earth...but other times it's just plain evil. Now what was I doing yesterday?)

(If I'm on some half-assed quest that Crono's making us do, then, well, I'll just have to kill him. I am NOT going into some monster nest today just to get the Golden Ass of Doom or something equally lame...)

(Feels like it's cold out. Good thing I've got a sleeping bag and Magus-)

"Wha?! Magus?!" At that thought Lucca sat straight up, the memories of the previous day flooding back. Well, she _would_ have sat straight up, at any rate, but a pair of strong, muscled arms that were wrapped securely around her waist effectively kept her in place.

"Hm?!" he replied rather sleepily, with a start. "What is it, four-eyes?"

Rolling over onto her stomach to get a good look at him, Lucca replied, "Oh, nothing. I was just marveling at your pure and utter gayness."

Predictably, that woke him up. "I am NOT gay, you little geek, as I effectively demonstrated to you last night, and-"

"Well, I'm not satisfied yet. Demonstrate again!" demanded Lucca with a lecherous grin, smoothing out his mussed-up bed hair so that it was beautiful, silky, and perfect once more. 

"Oh...very well." Shifting slightly so that he was positioned directly under her, he pulled her closer and they began to resume the activities of the night previous. Lucca sighed happily as he started off by kissing the nape of her neck, nibbling at it tenderly with his fangs, and slowly working upwards to her slightly parted mouth. 

After he had reached his destination and tenderly broke the deep kiss he had administered, he pulled back and gave her a small, arrogant smile. "I'll put this very nicely, poindexter: your breath really stinks." 

"Aagh, I hate you!" screeched Lucca, whacking him playfully. "Oh, and allow me to put this nicely, too: your breath doesn't exactly smell like daisies either! More like dead rotting meat!"

"There, there, no need to get violent with me, geek," he said smugly. "After all, if you get violent that means _I'll _have to get violent as well. And I'm sure you know by now what that means-"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll have to kill me," Lucca answered, smirking. "But somehow I'm just not afraid."

"Oh, and why not?"

"Because the I'm-going-to-kill-you factor is just exactly what makes tall, blue-haired warlocks so sexy," she replied, twirling his hair around in her fingers. "Didn't you know that?"

In result of that comment, they both started to hungrily begin Round Two, but Lucca suddenly perked up her ears and pulled away from him right in the middle of an especially bruising kiss, having all at once noticed something. "Hey...it's quiet outside."

Magus rolled his eyes. "My my, you sure know how to ruin the mood. What of it? The only thing that means is that the blizzard has ended." 

This time it was Lucca's turn to roll her eyes. "Great deductive reasoning, Princey. We'll make a super-sleuth out of you yet, that's for sure." She wriggled off of him and rolled over onto her back. "Well, DUH! Of course the blizzard's over! And you know what that means?"

"That we can bundle up and go make snow angels?"

"NO, smartass! That we can get the hell out of here!"

"And what if I'm not interested in leaving?"

"Then you can stay here! ALONE!"

"Now THAT won't work, four-eyes! My plans involve you, if you didn't know..."

"So do mine. And we're packing and leaving before another blizzard starts, you moron." 

"Oh, very well," he relinquished, stretching out in a cat-like manner and unzipping their sleeping bag so they could get out and start the long search for a Gate. But it didn't help that his hand accidentally brushed her leg as he did so...

"We're gonna get nothing done today, you know that?" Lucca panted, several frantic kisses later. "C'mon, let's get up. NOW."

***

Eventually, though, they managed to get up, get packed, and get outside the cave. They found that the snow had indeed stopped, although the temperature must have been around zero and the wind sometimes caused little drifts to eddy and spiral upwards. The sun shown weakly through a thin veil of clouds; it was unable to melt the blanket of snow that covered the ground halfway up to their knees.

"Wonderful weather, isn't it," Lucca muttered, Magus's cloak tightly wrapped around her. "And where do we go? I don't exactly see any villages, or people, or really anything but snow, for that matter."

Magus pointed over to the left of the cave, some distance away. "See that hill? If we head there, then perhaps we'll have a better view of the land around. Come on; it seems to be our only choice at the moment."

***

It was three hours and several miles to their destination. They saw not hide nor hair of bird, man, or beast during the entire trip; it seemed that no one and nothing could live in this desolate area. Lucca sighed wearily as she and Magus trudged on, side-by-side and in silence. What time period was this, anyway?! Whatever era this was, it sure was an oppressive one. 

They said nothing to each other the whole time. Lucca at first was a little puzzled as to why they were so uncomfortable with each other at the moment, but having a lot of time to think about it, she finally concluded that they were probably both a little embarrassed about their little "session" back there in the cave. Magus was NOT the kind of person who easily opened up to others, and whenever he did show a rare emotion, well, he didn't enjoy fully admitting it. And the same thing could be said about her; for how many years had she stalled about Crono?! Geez, they had to have been the two most emotionally detached people in the entire universe. 

***

"Hey, four-eyes, are my eyes deceiving me, or is that a fire over that way?"

Lucca squinted over to where Magus's line of vision currently was. They were now resting at the base of the hill, and he was staring at a glowing blue light that was situated midway up the snowy slope.

"Oh, come on, you idiot," she scolded him, "Not that I know what kind of weird things you've been smoking lately, but in most cases fires are most certainly NOT blue. Honestly, I think you need your vision che-" Suddenly, in mid-sentence, realization dawned on her. Of course it wasn't a fire. The light was blue, and that could only mean one thing. It was a-

"Omigod, Magus...I think it's a-I think it's a Gate!"

Without a second thought they both began to hastily climb the hill, not stopping for even a second until they reached their destination. Upon arriving there, they saw that the light they had seen indeed WAS a Gate. Lucca triumphantly dug the Gate Key out of her jacket pocket, but just as she was about to activate the portal with it-

"Wait a second!" A gloved brown hand suddenly stayed hers, preventing her from doing the one thing that would allow them to leave this godforsaken place.

Lucca whirled around and gave Magus her angriest glare. "What?! Don't you want to leave this place as much as I do?! You're the one who suggested this in the first place, and now you're chickening out once we DO get there?!"

He eyed the Gate doubtfully. "Of course I want to leave, but...who knows where it might take us? There's no telling WHAT'S on the other side of that Gate. At least we know what to expect by staying here."

"Listen, you dork," Lucca reprimanded him firmly, placing her free hand on his shoulder, "it was probably an act of God that got us here to end up finding this Gate in the first place, and as much as I'd like a repeat of last night, I am NOT walking back to that cave and waiting things out. We are taking a chance, and that's final!" 

"Not while I'm around!" Magus hissed, crossing his arms and giving off his trademark scowl. "I REFUSE to go along with this, and as I am NOT letting you go 

alone, Lucca-"

"Whoever said I was going alone?!" Lucca shot back. "You're coming along no matter if I have to PICK YOU UP AND CARRY YOU!" 

"Oh, really? Now how will THAT work, four-eyes?"

"Argh! You're really something else, you know that?! We are going NOW. RIGHT NOW. And you have no say in the matter!" With that she grabbed his arm, dragged him closer, and activated the Gate with her free hand. Closing shut behind them with a snap, it swallowed them right up and transported them to some unknown era.

***

"You just _had _to have the nerve, didn't you, poindexter?"

Lucca glared at Magus, who was currently squashed under her. After about fifteen dizzying seconds, the Gate had opened up in midair, causing them to fall twenty feet and land in some underbrush that luckily broke their fall. Needless to say, Magus wasn't too happy about all this, and at the moment he was giving her a scathing "I-told-you-so" look. 

"We could be dead right now, thanks to your stupidity! Another thirty feet or 

a well-placed rock and we wouldn't be here! Think before you act, four-eyes!"

"Well, excuse me for shaking up your little world, Your Majesty," Lucca replied haughtily, rather hurt. "We couldn't have _stayed_ there, you know; we wouldn't have lasted more than a week! Geez, you won't ever have to worry about being a good father; you complain enough for two!"

Oops. That had been a very -er- perverted comment to say. Magus really didn't seem to mind, however; his blood-colored eyes glinted in a strange way as his hand slowly reached up to stroke her hair. "And what makes you say that...weakling?"

They both ended up lunging at each other at the same time, lips meeting again hungrily; Magus managing to get Lucca's helmet off with a free hand while at the same time she worked on the clasp of his cloak. She had just finished unsnapping it and began the task of unbuttoning his shirt, when-

"As much as we'd like to rip each other's clothes off right now, four-eyes, I don't think this is the best place to do it. We don't even know where we are, for one thing..."

Lucca replied shakily, trying to ignore the firm, supple form under her, "You're right, you know." Using all of her willpower as she did so, she managed to stand up and look at her surroundings. 

The first thing she noticed this place was the exact opposite of their previous location. The climate was unbearably hot; a scorching breeze ran through the air, and the dampness in the air made her every move heavy. Lush tropical plants grew everywhere; vines winding around gnarled trees like snakes and multitudes of large, brightly-colored flowers were the most plentiful. And it had to be mentioned that they were standing directly under a tall, sheer cliff, which to Lucca seemed most familiar...

Magus stood nearby, dusting himself off and folding up his cloak, which for obvious reasons he did not need anymore. "Well, _I'm _at a loss for where we are. This doesn't seem familiar, not at all..."

Lucca turned his way, knowing quite well where they were now. "But don't you remember? This is Mystic Mountain. You know, in 65 million B.C.?"

"Nope, never been here before."

"Oh yeah, you weren't with us yet when we were here. The first time we went here to try and get some Dreamstone so we could fix the Masamune and go kick your ass, and the second time was right after we DID kick your ass." 

Magus scowled. "Hmpfh! When you say 'kick your ass' you actually have the nerve to act like there was some skill involved. Well, YOU'D lose too if you had to fight three times your number AND were surprised to begin with."

Lucca rolled her eyes. "Well, all I can say is it was a good thing you did, otherwise you would have summoned Lavos and you probably would have ended up dead. Anyway...I know where to go now. There's a village about five miles away from this mountain. We can rest there."

Magus shook his head disgustedly as he picked up and shouldered his pack, which had been thrown a few feet away upon their arrival. "So we're in the Prehistoric Era... How wonderful. No longer do I have to worry about cutting off my frostbitten limbs; no, instead I can worry about being eaten a dinosaur."

Lucca waved him off. "Oh, geez, this place isn't THAT bad! Just keep your big farm implement out and we'll be fine. And yes, I meant your scythe. I'm not THAT sick."

"Hmpfh!"

They made their way down the mountain in about an hour, only stopping for the occasional bout with some prehistoric creatures. Magus was a big help in that department; one casting of his Lightning 2 spell and everything in close proximity immediately turned into smoldering piles of ash. Lucca shook her head in amazement as she watched him during one particularly nasty incident involving ten large fireballs and a couple of angry Kilwalas. 

"Geez...you're quite the killing machine, aren't you?" she remarked coolly, handing him an Ether as they started to walk away from the carnage. "I've never even seen Crono blow up things like that!"

Magus snorted, putting his nose in the air. "That's because the spikey-haired simpleton always has qualms before he kills something. Hmpfh! I don't understand him...You shouldn't go killing needlessly, but if the other side is going to kill YOU-"

He trailed off, as if he was remembering something unpleasant. 

"What? Are you thinking about Cyrus?" Lucca asked shrewdly. 

"H-how did you-"

"Well, I don't know who else you killed!" Lucca waved her arms indignantly. "It's just a wild guess! Anyway, what about it?!"

"Oh, I don't know," he replied crossly, looking straight down at the ground as he walked, "I'm no saint in the whole matter, but I maintain that Cyrus had a hand in it, too. The fool pursued me relentlessly and would not stop until I was brought down by his sword. Eventually I had to do _something_; my life depended on it!"

They plodded on, both falling silent. To tell the truth, Lucca had been a little surprised at his words; getting anything personal out of Magus was like trying to break a boulder using only your head. And then there was WHAT he had said. Beforehand she had thought the whole Magus-killing-Cyrus thing had been your normal, clear-cut, good vs. evil stint; but now she wasn't so sure. What if it really HAD been for self-preservation on Magus's part? That changed almost everything...

She vowed to get more out of him later.

***

The sun was well into its westerly journey by the time they had topped a rise in the terrain and sighted the village nearby, about a half mile to the north. Magus eyed the cluster of huts, constructed haphazardly out of mud and sticks, doubtfully.

"Is THIS where we're heading, four-eyes?"

"Ye-es," replied Lucca testily, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "There aren't exactly any five-star accomodations for His Majesty here, but can he manage for another night? Geez, what did you expect, anyway?! Feather beds? Electric fireplaces? RUNNING WATER?! We're in 65 million B.C., for crying out loud!"

"Oh, I know, I know, but...just never mind. Is there another Gate around here that you know of?"

"Nope. Not unless you wanna go to 12000 B.C. with no way to get to the Last Village, buddy."

"Shit..."

"Oh, come on," Lucca scoffed, rolling her eyes. "The people here are really nice! They aren't cannibals or anything! Just have a little faith! Crono and the others will look for us here for sure!" With that she grabbed his arm and started to drag him down the hill towards Ioka Village.

A/N: Argh! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Thanks to my poor overloaded brain there will now be 17 chapters instead of the original 16 I had planned! Expect the next one out a little early; it should be about as long as this one but perhaps a little easier to write. It will get better, I promise! And if you thought it was good or bad, it doesn't matter; please review anyway! I need suggestions and/or complaints to help me get out of this slump.


	13. Bonfires, Cavemen, and Really Bad Dancin...

Disclaimer: AAGH!! Not again! I don't own Chrono Trigger! I swear! I don't care what anybody says, I DON'T!! (Hehe...sorry about the insane rant; it's the Mountain Dew talking, not me.)

A/N: Last chapter my muse decided to get drunk and go on vacation, so I left you with a chapter that I couldn't finish. We-ell...he's back now, so here's the rest! Here's what I intended to do before! 

Lucca smiled as she spotted a familiar bowlegged figure running up to them when they arrived in the outskirts of Ioka. 

"Hey, Kino! How you been?" she called out to him, stepping forward and holding out her hand in a gesture of greeting. 

Kino grunted in acknowledgement as he approached, his rugged face breaking out into a smile as he recognized the young purple-haired inventor. "It Lucca! It Lucca!" he exclaimed excitedly. "How you doing? No see you for long time! But where others? They not with you?!" He looked around, getting an anxious look on his face; it was no secret that he was obviously very smitten with Ayla and he worried about her constantly. 

"Um, they're not along," Lucca replied, thinking fast (Kino would obviously be unable to comprehend the whole story and that would leave her in an uncomfortable situation), "But they're fine. They're a little busy right now, but they'll be coming later."

Kino nodded. "That good. Me no see Ayla for many suns." He turned around, gesturing for her to follow, but then his eye got caught on Magus, who had stayed out of the exchange and just watched, scowling, going unnoticed until now.

"Lucca have-Lucca have...MAN?!" He scratched his scruffy head questioningly, as if unsure. 

Magus seemed extremely irritated at Kino's comment, so Lucca jumped in and prompted, "Go on, Scout, tell him your gender and sexual orientation."

Magus, throwing up his hands, went into a tirade. "But HOW?!" he complained in an exasperated voice. "HOW could they mistake me for something else?! Just because I happen to have a third of the body hair _he _does-"

"Oh, just shut up and tell him you're male already! What does it matter, anyway, as long as _I _know the difference-"

"Oh, very well!" Bringing his attention back to Kino, Magus forced a very tight-lipped smile and said in an indignant voice, "Yes, a man. I am a MAN, if you couldn't tell."

Kino stared at Magus like he didn't quite believe him, but he managed to get over it and nodded over towards the Chief's Hut. "Come. We talk. Much happen since you defeat Azala."

As they followed Kino through the center of the village, Lucca wrapped her arm around Magus's waist and chided him, "Relax, will you? They're Ayla's friends."

Magus's scowl deepened. "Oh, great," he snorted, "THAT'S a real comfort. They're Ayla's friends. My worries are dispelled _now. _Really, that just makes it worse."

Lucca almost laughed but managed to compose herself. "Just try to be nice, buddy. We probably won't be stuck here all that long; you can survive."

"Oh, I can? Well, you could have fooled _me._" 

"Geez, can't you even say it's better than the cave?!"

"No, because in the cave there wasn't the blatant possibility of people picking bugs out of my hair and eating them."

"Oh, shut up!"

Kino ushered them inside the Chief's Hut, indicating for them to sit down around the fire. "You sit. We have party later, so I tell others to make ready." He shuffled off.

"A party?! For us?! Why?!" Magus asked Lucca, a little bewildered.

"Oh, I don't know," she replied, removing her jacket and throwing it on the hut floor. "Guests are a big deal to them, I guess."

"Wonderful, just wonderful. A prehistoric party. I don't even _want _to know what goes on there."

"Oh, it's not that bad, you dope! It's even kind of fun! Don't be so pessimistic! This is the _best_ place we could be right now."

"And why is that, might I ask?"

"Because Crono and the others haven't apparently even been here yet! That means they should come here looking for us pretty soon! I mean, the Epoch can only go to so many eras, can't it?"

"Good point," Magus said listlessly, stretching out his legs, "but not soon enough, I'm afraid. I'm tired, I'm cranky, and I haven't even bathed for three days. But when they come, well...I don't know. Then it's back to looking at spikehead, and that idiot princess, and that fight-picking amphibian-"

"Someone IS cranky, isn't he?"

"Hmpfh!"

***

"Oh, Ayla's just fine," Lucca reassured Kino yet again. "She's as tough as ever. She's a great help to us."

Night had fallen, and the party was in full swing. Lucca and Kino still sat in the Chief's Hut, nibbling on some pear-like fruits and just generally talking about what had happened since the fall of Tyrano Lair, now roughly about three weeks ago.

Although Kino still looked very much like his proud, burly self, Lucca had subsequently noticed during their conversation that his face seemed a little more stressed and careworn than she had remembered it before. And going by his news, it was probably no small wonder. Problems had erupted ever since Tyrano Lair had been smashed far into the ground and Lavos had arrived. Although the Reptites were gone and Ayla's tribe was no longer in any danger of extinction, other things had started to flare up. For one thing, the weather had grown colder and more rainy (cold and rainy for them, anyway); this caused hunting to be more sparse and the men of the village to be out most of the day just to kill enough for everyone. And then there were the strange beasts that had popped up lately. Hostile, mutated-looking beasts that would attack anything were seen all the time during hunts and even sometimes at night in the outskirts of the village. It took a lot of manpower to fend them off, and women and children now had to be careful even leaving their huts. It was all-in-all NOT a winning situation.

Kino stood up, throwing the core of his fruit into the flames. "I not know what do anymore. I not good Chief. Ayla good Chief. We need Ayla."

"Don't worry, what we're doing will be over soon," Lucca comforted him. "Ayla misses you, but as long as Lavos is alive, everybody's in trouble. She knows this."

"Yes..." Kino trailed off, looking down at the dirt floor of the hut. "But too much bad news!" he exclaimed after a second, perking up. "Now we go party, forget about trouble."

They left the hut together, and out into the night's festivities. It was pretty much like the party Lucca had attended before, with tons of dancing, music, food, and a big bonfire presiding in the middle. She craned her neck, looking around for Magus, who had wandered off sometime in the middle her and Kino's conversation. She finally spotted him by the food-laden table (though there was actually much less food tonight than before), standing in the shadows, looking grumpier than ever. 

Lucca, suddenly having an idea, crept around the inside of the feasting area's hedge, slowly coming up behind him. When she was just an arm's length away, she silently reached out...and grabbed his behind!

"AGH!" The moment that ensued was just golden. Magus jumped back about a mile, spilling his drink, looking absolutely outraged. "Who did that?! If I ever get ahold of you-"

"Oh, quit spazzing! It's just me!" Lucca chose that time to jump out of the shadows and reveal herself. 

He crossed his arms, smirking at her. "Hm, well, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be too happy right now. Wouldn't put it past those cavewomen..."

Lucca rolled her eyes at him. "Gee, that's nice to know." She turned and surveyed the food that was on the table. "Hmmm, what should we try?..." 

"How about nothing?"

"Oh, just eat something, you damn party pooper! It doesn't hurt to try anything new, you know!"

"It might if there's an animal I can't identify in it."

"Shut up and eat!"

"Oh, all right, all right! This looks safe-" He put to his lips a large, shallow bowl filled with a thick gray liquid-

"NO! Don't you DARE!"

Magus rolled his eyes. "What is it, four-eyes?! Honestly, you're insane."

"Anything but that! That's poi! Two bowls of it and you won't even know your own name!"

Magus's lips curled into a nasty grin. "Oh, what, and you know about this? My my, four-eyes all rowdy and drunk! I'd _pay _to see that!"

"No-you-won't-" gasped Lucca, trying to grab the bowl from his iron grip.

"Did you start dancing on the table, is that it, poindexter?"

"Let-go-"

Magus's smile widened. "Oh, I know! Did you and Crono-"

"SHUT UP!"

"Hit a nerve, didn't I? Hmpfh, it's pretty easy to set YOU off..."

"Put--the--bowl--down--you---moron."

***

The night, wearing on, later found Magus and Lucca sitting near the bonfire, both wrapped in the same huge fur coverlet to help ward off the night air, which was getting increasingly cold. They had long since abandoned the poi bowl; it had ended up shattering when the thing had dropped on Magus's foot (he had been pretty eager to let go of it after Lucca had set it on fire, after all). 

Lucca blinked sleepily, her head resting on Magus's shoulder. "Remind me never to drag you to a party for as long as I live."

Magus snorted. "That won't be hard, four-eyes. I never even wanted to be at _this _one."

"That dancing we did was just awful."

"Good, then I'm not the only one that felt like an ass."

"If you ever see me tapping my toes to the music ever again, then stomp on my feet."

"And if you ever catch me asking you again, tell me to shut the hell up."

"Agreed."

"Agreed. But that won't stop me from making fun of you and telling everyb-"

"You wouldn't DARE!" Lucca shrieked, kicking him under the blanket. 

"Oh, yes I would."

"Then I'll just have to tell Frog about YOUR groovy moves!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No! I have a reputation to maintain!"

"Well, so do I!"

"Hmpfh!"

"Oh, hmpfh yourself!"

At that moment, Magus decided he was tired of arguing. He leaned in, wrapping his arms around her, and gave it all he got. Lucca moaned in response, gently prying open his mouth, her fingernails digging into his back as their kissing deepened. 

They stayed like that until, obviously, they had to breathe. They parted but stayed close, arms still around each other and noses almost touching.

"You know what?" Lucca said to him, her hand reaching up to touch his cheek, which happened to have a lot of peach-fuzz growing on it. "You really need to shave."

"So do you," he shot back, a wicked smile growing on his face.

"Agh, I'm not hairy, you big liar!" she exploded, slapping that same cheek (but half playfully; goodness no, she didn't want to mar that handsome face again!).

"Tch, tch! Afraid of the truth, are we?" He hungrily pressed his lips to hers again, massaging the small of her back in light circles with his fingertips. 

SMACK!

"Have you ever considered waxing?" He dove in for the kill a third time, making sure to avoid her vengeful hand.

SMACK!

"Women aren't supposed to have beards, if you didn't know, four-eyes," was his only reaction, as he nibbled on her bottom lip gently.

SMACK!

"Why does this always seem to happen when we're fighting?!" He grabbed the arm that she was using to slap him with and managed to get her in a longer, more serious liplock this time.

"Why? You want to know why?" asked Lucca breathlessly afterwards. "Because you're such an ASS, that's why." 

"Hm? Oh really?" he said absently in reply, lightly raining a trail of kisses upon her, beginning on the collarbone and slowly going up to her temple.

They continued on like this for quite awhile, except eventually they cut the banter and got to the good stuff. During this each one tried to outdo the other in terms of getting the upper hand; yes, Magus and Lucca fought even while kissing. Each kiss becoming more fevered than the last, things were starting to heat up more and more (if Lucca's hands slowly creeping down inch by agonizing inch were any indication) when suddenly-

Magus just broke off. For no apparent reason. "What ARE you doing, you dork?!" Lucca asked him angrily, glaring at him.

Magus waved his hand vaguely around. "It's those barbarians," he hissed under his breath. "They keep staring at us!"

Lucca rolled her eyes. "Oh, for crying out loud! We can't go off into a cave EVERY time His Majesty wants a little kissy-poo! Let them stare! I've seen them do worse! And take your gloves off, will you?! Those rough smelly things aren't doing wonders for my skin, you know!"

Magus smirked. Taking off the gloves and revealing his slender white hands, he remarked coolly, "And since when do greasy, oil-spattered little geeks care about their appearances?'

Lucca smirked at him back. "Maybe you haven't noticed before, Maggy, but I _am _a girl. And if you haven't, well...then that clears up a lot; I was wondering how you were able to kiss me, being as gay as you are and all-"

"Hmpfh! I choose to ignore that comment!"

"Well, try ignoring THIS!" Before Magus could react, Lucca seized him and started to resume the aforementioned activities of that night.

Magus, of course, couldn't say no to this, even if there _were _a few curious onlookers watching their proceedings. He quickly responded to her, gently massaging her face with his smooth hands; and upon breaking away he promptly sat her on his lap, continuing to kiss her ravenously, allowing his fingers to get tangled in her messy purple locks. 

Things were starting to get intense again, albeit even a little more inappropriate than even on Mystic Mountain (but only Magus knew about that little piece). Maybe it was all for the best that something happened during the middle of all this-

"Hey! Why did you throw a party without us?!" a loud, goofy voice suddenly boomed out from the front gate of the feasting area. 

Lucca and Magus immediately froze. Magus, of course, was very horrified, but that was nothing compared to how Lucca felt. She recognized that laid-back, amiable tone just as he did, but she wasn't exactly feeling the initial relief she had thought she'd experience upon hearing it...

"EEEP!" She quickly dove under the large blanket that they were both wrapped in, leaving an extremely bewildered Magus to do all the talking. 

A/N: Hmmmm...so Lucca's a little afraid about what everyone's gonna think, huh? And what about Magus? Does he want to keep this a secret, too? Or does he even give a damn?! You'll have to figure that out for yourselves...because of my EVIL cliffhanger (heh-heh!). 

Thanks to Shannon for that little bit with the slapping! Somehow Lucca slapping Magus just seems appropriate...

Thanks for the great reviews! Honestly, when I first posted this I didn't think I'd do this well. As always, I'm also currently following Sailor Leo's, Rhianwen's, and Dark Creation's great Lu/Mas! You guys all kick ass! And yea, Imania! Go, Imania! I think she's writing a sequel to her last fic...

Anyway, please review me! Anything will do! Just even a word or three on maybe why you liked (or hated) it is fine with me. 


	14. WHAT! And You STILL Didn't Get the Deodo...

Disclaimer: I absolutely, positively do NOT own Chrono Trigger. And...if you've read all 13 of the other disclaimers, I'm sure you know that by now. Good for you! 

A/N: There's something I wanna clear up before you read on. Um, I didn't really intend for Crono and the others to actually catch Lucca and Magus in the act yet at all. When I look back at it, it certainly does seem that way, so I apologize for any confusion. It certainly is a close call (read on to find out about it!), but they actually haven't been SEEN going at it by the others yet. *Snickers evilly* No, I've already planned a couple of even more embarrassing ways for it to happen. 

Lucca tapped her foot in frustration as she peered up at the sky, praying for the dear Lord to give her some more patience. Whatever amount of it she usually had was being sorely exhausted at the moment. 

The source was Marle, as usual. She had run into the store, promising that she'd she'd be right out and yada yada yada...but now it had been fifteen minutes and she wasn't back.

"Oh, come on," she muttered irately, her shoe scraping roughly upon the concrete in annoyance. "It's just deodorant, for crying out loud!"

Normally Lucca was a very patient person, even when it came to stupid people. Normally, mind you. But today wasn't normal. She couldn't just wait it out and be still. Why, you ask? Because every time she had sat still so far today she had inadvertently thought of the terrible events of the previous night. And man, had they been terrible. 

~Flashback~

"What are you _doing, _four-eyes?" Magus hissed, sticking his head under the blanket. "_I_ certainly don't want to be the one to talk to those morons!"

"Well, I can't do anything until you GET OFF OF ME, you idiot!" Lucca snarled, desperate to get away from him. "All two thousand pounds of you!" She couldn't figure out why she didn't want Crono and the others to see them so badly, but it seemed to be the best course of action to take. 

"How DARE you call me chubby, you little geek! I'll have you know-"

"Shut up and get OFF! Do you want them to see us?!"

"What's with the secrecy all of a sudden, four-eyes? Personally, I don't give a rat's ass if the spiky-headed fool and his friends know it or not!"

"Speaking of asses, get your hands off of mine!"

"What about _your _lecherous little pair of hands, poindexter?!"

"There, they're off! Happy now, Oh Prince of Nothing?!"

"Geek."

"Bastard."

"Four-eyes."

"Retard."

"Wretch."

"Asshole."

At that moment in time, pervertedly enough, (perhaps it was the desperateness of the situation) their animal instincts kicked in and they started up right where they left off, but after a minute or so-

Kino's voice could be heard booming out from the other side of the fire, by the Front Gate, "Yes! Yes! I see Lucca! She and her man over by fire!"

Upon hearing that Lucca suddenly garnered enough strength and managed to knee him good and hard in the groin. That probably wasn't the best thing to do, but it looked like Magus was just going to sit there and argue to high heaven while _still _on top of her, sooo...

He jumped up right away, doing a funny little dance while holding on to the affected area. "Ugh," he moaned, "that - was - a - low - blow, - four - eyes..."

"Well, geez," Lucca huffed, dusting herself off. "What part of the I-don't-want-them-to-know-yet don't you understand?!"

"Hmpfh!"

"Oh, hmpfh yourself, you ass!"

"GEEK!"

"MORON!"

"WEAKLING!"

"PANSY!"

And that was how Crono and Co. found them, luckily enough.

~End of Flashback~

Lucca sighed. Just the thought of it was emotionally scarring. They had had quite a time keeping it from the others when they first saw them, too; despite the fact that they had been well apart by that time, both of their faces had been such a vivid, fire engine shade of red that they had Crono asking if they were feeling feverish at all. 

Lucca sighed again. Was Magus mad at her because of the whole ordeal? She really had no way of telling; they hadn't been able to see or talk to each other alone since, well, last night. They had decided to stay put and spend the night in Ioka; Lucca had wasted the night away lying down on a large bed of pelts, with no Magus to keep her company, sadly enough. 

When it all came down to it, she wouldn't blame him one bit if he was mad. After all, pushing him away like that HAD been childish. Why had she done that? If anything, Magus was something to be shown off; keeping someone like HIM a secret was just wrong. Was she afraid of the others' reactions? Was that it? Would they disapprove of her little affair with the dark, enigmatic warlock? She really had no idea why she felt this way...

But right now she didn't have the chance to ask him. She was standing outside a large shop in Porre circa 1000 A.D., waiting for Marle to just get her damn deodorant already. After waking up in Ioka around noon they had come here to stock up on weapons, armor, and just some general things to help them through their journeys; modern-day Porre was well-known for its fantastic shops and goods. Everyone else was scattered about, all doing the buying for themselves; Lucca had unfortunately been forced to tag along with Marle on special request. ("Oooh, Lucca!" she had squealed. "You had better come with me; girls should stick together when they shop!") Damn her. If she had had the choice she would have had a private little talk with Magus; she definitely wanted to tell him why she had acted the way she did. He deserved at least that much, at any rate. 

Another fifteen minutes had passed by the time Marle emerged from the store, wearing apparently what had kept her from coming out.

"Look at my new tube top!" she squealed. "Isn't it cute, Lucca? When I saw it, I knew. I just KNEW I had to buy it!'

Her sugar-induced joy was immediately squashed after Lucca shot the Angry Glare of Death her way for about five seconds. 

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry," she managed to stammer, after the five hate-filled seconds had elapsed. "Did you wait a long time out here? I'm really really sorry, it's just that I saw these really cute barrettes by the counter and I said to myself, why don't I-"

"Where's your deodorant?" Lucca cut in, crossing her arms.

Marle smiled nervously as she searched her bag. "Oh, uh, whaddaya know, I think I forgot it. Maybe I should go back in and get some-"

Before she could even take a step back towards the store entrance, Lucca had managed to grab ahold of her. "Don't even think about it, missy. We are going back to the Epoch NOW. NOW. Let's go."

Sadly enough, Marle's shopping spree had just been the beginning of Lucca's torment. After maybe taking two steps towards their destination, she piped up brashly, a big grin on her face, "Sooooo...you told me about your little trip, but not _everything, _I'm betting. So did you and Magus do anything...interesting?"

Lucca rolled her eyes. She had seen it coming; after all, Marle was not one to let things go. Yes, she and Magus HAD done some rather interesting things yesterday and the day before, but was she going to tell Marle that? The answer was a big resounding NO!!

"I already _told _you what happened last night," she said testily, glaring at her companion. "And I've told you this before, too: there is absolutely NOTHING going on between me and Magus. NOTHING. He did nothing but yell himself hoarse the entire time-"

"Ooooo, I'll bet he did," Marle replied, grinning unabashedly. 

"Get your mind out of the gutter! Geez..."

"But seriously," Marle went on, adjusting the straps of her purse, "I wish you'd just own up already! The chemistry is there, even though all you two seem to do is fight...but then again, fighting can be, heehee, naughty..."

"Whatever."

"Oh, come on, Lucca! I KNOW you like him, I can tell! What's not to like? And just between you and me, I think he's kinda hot. You know, I even wonder how he'd be in be-"

"MARLE!" 

"Yeesh, Lucca, don't go so ballistic! I'm being honest, and it's between us girls, so what's the harm in it?"

(_Oh, there's harm in it all right,) _Lucca thought to herself, doggedly marching on to get back to the Epoch as fast as possible. _(Harm to my mental well-being, that's for sure. Although I DO wonder about that myself...)_

For the rest of that long, agonizing walk, Lucca made sure to block out every word of Marle's, as she was sure there had already been extensive damage done to her cranial organs. Hmmm, perhaps stupidity DID rub off on others...

***

"You know what?" said Crono, once everyone had returned from their individual little trips and piled back into the Epoch, ready for departure. "I think we should call it a day. What is it, maybe five o'clock now? I doubt we'll get anything done even if we do go on."

"Oh, you're such a honey!" squealed Marle, hugging him so tightly that he looked like he was going to gag. "That's just what _I _was thinking. That would be just great. Booking a nice hotel would really give us the chance for us to have, you know...some _reeeeal _quality time..."

A collective moan rose from everyone in earshot, after Marle had forced them to imagine various depictions of what went on during Crono and Marle's, well, alone-time. Lucca herself had to stifle a giggle. She had no idea how Crono could even STAND Marle and her ditziness. But not like that concerned HER anymore, she thought as she jerked her head towards Magus in the back seat, wondering if he was still angry. No, he didn't look like he was in a bad mood. He just looked a little grossed out at Marle's comment. But that was a totally normal reaction. 

Crono continued on, a little red around the ears, "Er---so no one objects?"

"Nope," replied Lucca. "Just take us somewhere nice." She very much wanted to sleep on a BED tonight, as she had been deprived of one for the last three nights now (although Magus's body had been a wonderful substitute during one of those!).

"I guess that'll work," said Crono, shrugging and turning the Epoch's ignition. "Just hold on, let's get this thing further away from town..."

***

Lucca could not have been happier. She had had a decent meal (meaning a meal without Jerky and/or dinosaur meat), she was lying on a huge, cushy bed, and best of all, she had finally showered for the first time in four days. Crono had picked one of the better hotels in town; and that was something, considering Porre was big to begin with. Yes, killing all of those monsters DID have its merits, she concluded as she thumbed through her dog-eared copy of _Hypotheses and Theories About Man's Relation to the Universe; _it sure brought in the moola to do things like this. But there was one thing missing...and that was some good companionship.

Well, technically she DID have companionship at the moment, although Ayla snoring loud enough to wake the dead on the other side of the room perhaps wasn't a good example of it. 

__

(Grrr,) thought Lucca, shifting position so that she was lying on her stomach, _(Leave it to Crono to mess things up again. Although I can't really blame him for not putting me with Magus; the poor guy thinks he's actually doing me a favor.) _

That's what she was getting at, of course. She would much rather be sitting exchanging insults and quips with Magus than just lying here reading physics theories (and being forced to listen to Ayla's snoring, if it all came down to it). 

"Oh, hell," she grumbled, standing up and looking for her shoes, "I might as well just go down there." 

Carefully stealing a glance at Ayla to see if she was still sound asleep, she quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her with a quiet click, and padded down the hallway to where she believed Magus's room was. As far as she knew, he wasn't sharing a room with anyone, so she wouldn't have to worry about someone else hovering around and making her life miserable. That _would _have been bad indeed...

She found him sprawled on the sofa when she entered his room, looking totally relaxed and at ease. Upon her arrival, he put down the book he had been reading and raised his eyebrows at her. "Well, well, you sure took your time in dropping by, four-eyes. I was starting to get bored." 

Lucca raised her own eyebrows. After all, she HAD been expecting some flack from him to some degree about the episodes of the night previous. "You're not mad at me?" she asked him incredulously, shutting the door behind her and crossing the room.

"Mad? What about, poindexter?"

"You know, about last night."

There was a short pause. "Well, I suppose kneeing me in the groin WAS a low blow, even for you, four-eyes, but it's nothing for me to be unconditionally pissed about. Other than that, well, anything else that happened wasn't unusual."

"Oh, you _know _what I'm getting at, you moron, and it's not that!" Lucca reprimanded, frowning at him. 

"Ohhhhh, I remember now," he replied, a smile creeping upon his thin lips. "That whole little episode where you were trying to get away from me. What WAS that about, anyway, four-eyes? A little afraid of what your buddies might think?"

"Well, how DO I tell my friends that for the past two days I've been going at it steady with a tall, blue-haired evil-turned-good wizard that enjoys blowing up things for fun?" Lucca said in a rush, sitting down on the bed.

Magus shrugged. "Personally, I don't care if you tell the morons or not. On the plus side, if we did we wouldn't have to sneak around and everything would be out in the open... but then again...that could actually just create more problems for us. I don't know...do what you want." He clearly looking tired of discussing the matter, so Lucca decided to drop it.

"So..."

"So..." Suddenly they both seemed a little uncomfortable. Tension again...

"So why don't we go out and do something?" Lucca suddenly blurted out before she even considered what she was thinking. 

"Huh?"

"You heard me, let's go, get out of here, enjoy the night!" Lucca exclaimed, waving her arms around. 

"Aw, geez," Magus groaned. "Do we _have_ to go out in public?! As if I haven't seen enough idiots today already!"

Lucca rolled her eyes. "Will it kill you to just TRY to have fun, you dope?! And you still haven't taken me out on a date yet, I might add! If last night happened to be your idea of a date, then it was a poor excuse for one, if I do say so myself!"

"Oh, all right, all right," Magus caved, standing up and heading for the door. "ANYTHING'S better than just staying here, I suppose. But I'm warning you, geek: you're not dragging me to a beach, or a ballroom, or-or an art museum! I remember that last time I was at one of those, and it was not pleasant." He shuddered.

"What?!" he spat, seeing that she was still standing by the bed, her hands on her hips. "I thought you wanted to go!"

"You're forgetting something, buddy." 

"Like what, four-eyes? I don't see what you're getting at!"

"Um---you are NOT going out into public with me wearing that cloak."

"What's wrong with it?!"

"What's wrong with it, you moron?! Oh, I don't even know where to start! It's old, it's holey, and it's got stains of Only-God-Knows-What all over it!"

Magus grumpily undid his cloak and tossed it on the sofa. "There," he retorted huffily. "Are you now not too ashamed to go out in public with me?"

"And drop the scythe. It's not harvest time."

"But WHY?!"

"Just do it." 

It took a little while for Lucca to convince Magus to part with his most prized possession for a set period of time, but she finally managed to wrest it out of his grasp and they were ready to go. 

It was about seven o'clock when they left the room and out into the streets of Porre, and both agreed that they should arrive back around ten. They would probably be fighting monsters and looking for God-Knows-Whatnot the next day, after all, so getting a good amount of sleep WOULD be in order. That left them three hours to do anything they pleased.

Little did they know that those next three hours would be the most disastrous ever known to man. 

A/N: *Grins mischievously* I'll just leave you to ponder that for awhile. And has anybody noticed that they're in PORRE?? If you remember something back from a few chapters ago, well...this could be a potentially nasty situation. Never mind...it WILL be a nasty situation, heh heh. 

I'll get Chapter 15 out pretty soon. And I'll try and make sure that it's a lot more funny. This chapter seemed really half-assed to me; maybe it's because it's different from most of the others. Damn, this fic seems to drag on and on! I remember when I first started writing this I intended only maybe 12 chapters. 

Remember to review, if you please! The ones that I got for my last chapter were so wonderful!


	15. A Date Made In Hell

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything Chrono Trigger related. Whatever made you think THAT?!

Author's Note: Heh-heh! Be careful while reading this one! This chapter has some very insane things happening, and the flirtation between Lucca and Magus just seems to make the whole thing worse! I thought we needed a breather after that strange one that I wrote last week (although, if you think about it, they're really all strange). Enjoy!

The sun shone almost red in its descent towards night, bestowing upon the ocean a rainbow of breathtaking colors that changed every time a small ripple or tide moved forcefully inward. The beach's fine sand, normally a stark white, was now equally changed into a dusky pink hue, further accentuated by the multitude of brightly-colored pebbles and shells that lay scattered all across the premises. A light, clean-smelling breeze ticked its way through the air, ushering in the loud sounds of the nearby city, which at the moment seemed to be a million miles away. Yes, a better night you could not have asked for. It was a perfect evening to just sit and contemplate about how happy to be alive you were, and even more perfect for a romantic stroll along the beach with your lover...

"Geez, this sucks."

Lucca raised her eyebrows at her "lover", who was starting to look more and more grumpy by the minute. Hitherto he had just kept his mouth shut, walking at her side with his arm draped lightly about her waist, but now it seemed that he couldn't take this punishment any longer. 

"Oh, what's your problem NOW, you dope?! There's nothing to complain about so you have to _find _something, is that it?!"

"No," replied Magus, kicking a rather large shell into the air. "This really DOES suck. This is starting to bore me, I'm getting sand in my boots, and worst of all, I don't even have my scythe."

"And thank GOD for that!" retorted Lucca. "I absolutely _refuse_ to go out in public with someone that looks like Farmer Bill!"

Magus snorted. "I never even wanted to leave the hotel, four-eyes, so that would have been fine by me. Hmpfh! What's wrong with me, anyway? I said I was never going to go outside, and look where I am now."

"Yes," Lucca replied. "You also said you were never gonna go to the beach either, and look where you are now. Hah! I've got you whipped already!"

"Hmpfh! NO one whips the King of the Mystics, least of all YOU, poindexter!"

Needless to say, Lucca spent the rest of the time at the beach laughing her ass off, much to Magus's chagrin and confusion.

***

The pebbles and sand clattered loudly as they came into contact with the sidewalk, making a few people nearby turn their heads in curiosity.

"What did you do, bring the whole beach with you?!" Lucca commented as she watched Magus give one of his boots a final shake. 

"Yes, thanks to YOU," he replied, starting on the other one. "Honestly, I don't see what was so romantic about the whole thing."

"I never said it WAS, you fruit!! But can't you even say the ocean was pretty or something?!"

"The only thing pretty about it was how pretty well these braindead morons have managed to dump toxic waste and syringes in it." 

"Always cynical, aren't you?"

"Always."

At the moment they were sitting at an outdoor cafe, sharing a rather large sundae, watching people in the busy street pass by in the dusk and occasionally making the odd disparaging comment about some of them. All-in-all a decent way to pass the time, Lucca mused as she played around with Magus's hair, looping and twirling it in her fingers. How he hated it when she played with his hair! But that was why she did it...

"Hey there, sugah!"

Both Magus and Lucca swiveled their heads around only to see a tall, slender woman standing right next to them. Well, not just a tall, slender woman. More like a young, blond, and very leggy supermodel-looking woman that right now looked like she wanted to bang Magus like a virus-infested computer, Lucca thought as her heart threatened to drop down into her stomach. 

"Yes?" Magus asked her coolly.

"Now yer a cute 'un, if ah do say so mahself," she drawled on in that odd accent, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Wah don't yeh come along wit ol' Gwendolyn 'ere and ah'll show yeh a good time. A reall-eh good time, ah promise."

Magus scratched his head in puzzlement. "What?"

"Ah said yeh shed come wit me, hun, mah man don' look like nuttin' compared to ya, sweetie," she crooned again, stroking his hair.

"Huh?"

"Come along wit meh now, don' wanna disappoint a purty gurl, yah beg hannsum studmuffin! Ditch thuh dork an' lut's go git illegul!"

"Huh?"  


"Ah sid it once an' ah'll say et agin, manly man! Come wit meh an' I'll show yuh a REEL good time. How bout et, sugah?"

"Uh, no thanks, not interested," Magus said hastily, removing her hand from his hair. 

"Gwendolyn's" eyes shot daggers. "Wull, I neva!" she interjected, putting her hands on her hips. "No man's resisted mah charms afore! Wull hun, ah kin on'y say un thin', yer gonna miss out on ol' Gwinn an' y'all neva know wha' hitcha!" She stomped off, tripping on her high heels and cursing vehemently as she went. 

Lucca sighed with relief. She had seen other women _eye _her prize before, but no one had dared approach him until now. "So wait---let me get this straight, you are NOT gonna go get illegal?" she asked him, a small smile forming on her face.

"Oh, is that what she said?" he replied, an eyebrow raised. "I only caught the whole manly man piece."

"You MEAN what you're saying, right?" Lucca asked, a little incredulously. "That you were not attracted to her just one little _bit?!_"

"Attracted?" he said, a little amused. "I couldn't even understand her, much less be attracted to her!"

"We-ell...just asking."

Magus tsked, "Little four-eyes, little four-eyes, always so insecure. Trust me, if I didn't want to be with _you, _then I wouldn't be here right now. And I'm here right now, aren't I?'

Lucca, feeling a lot better at what he had said, cracked a shy smile. "You know, I think that's the first almost-compliment you've ever paid me."

"Hm, am I really that bad, poindexter?" he said lightly, smoothing her hair, which (to say the least) stuck out in all directions. "I had no idea. And honestly...if you think I _like_ blonde-haired bimbos...why aren't I out chasing Marle at the moment? Not only is she slender and golden-haired, but she's a princess, she's rich, and has about the I.Q. of a log as well. I couldn't have it better!"

Lucca laughed. "You've got a point there, I'll tell you that much. You'd better start formulating your plan to get her away from Crono; you've got your work cut out for you at the moment!"

"Oh, come on! It wouldn't be THAT hard! Most women seem to be DRAWN to handsome, evil wizards! I'd have her under my thumb in three seconds, I tell you!"

Lucca shoved him playfully. "Arrogant, aren't we? Although you weren't exaggerating when you said evil; you just stole MY cherry off the sundae!" She gave him a mock-angry glare. 

He gave her a cheeky grin. "Then why don't you come get it, four-eyes?"

Lucca willingly obliged, leaning in and giving him a teasing kiss, nibbling lightly on his lower lip before going in for the kill. Her tongue meandered inside his mouth for a good five seconds before he joined in; pressing her to him and massaging her shoulders expertly, he brusquely placed his tongue in the way of hers, causing another one of their battles. Lucca inhaled sharply, grabbing his shoulders in an almost painful way, as she attempted to gain the upper hand. All of her senses seemed to enhance whenever she kissed Magus, it was true; his body was warm and firm against hers...she could smell his scent, of incense and vanilla, quite vividly...and taste the whipped cream in his mouth, which seemed to melt away at the lightest touch of her tongue. She was in complete and utter bliss.

They slowly drew away from each other, both breathing a little heavily, admittedly enough, both staring as if they had just opened their eyes and seen each other for the first time. 

"You bastard..." she barely whispered, holding on to him even more tightly. 

"Hm, so you want more, geek?" he said in reply, his words rather muffled; after all, nipping at her neck made it rather hard for him to talk properly. "I suppose that's possible."

He indulged her in a full liplock for a second time; a harder, more bruising one. This time they kept both of their eyes open. As Lucca peered intently into those piercing, crimson colored depths, she couldn't help but notice how remarkably at peace they were at the moment. Was it her? Normally his eyes looked at least a little bit troubled or careworn. Did she help him? Did she help him forget? Was it possible that he ever regretted some of the atrocities he had committed during his reign over the Mystics? Was that look that was often in his eyes also another kind of regret; about his family and his sister, that he was unable to save them, even after being given a second chance? She could only speculate; she knew that Magus would never tell her those kind of things. But if she could help...

"HEY, YOU TWO!! GO GET A ROOM!!" The sharp command suddenly brought the two back to reality, but maybe perhaps a little too harshly.

CRASSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! They lost their balance on the small bench they had been sharing and did a header onto the grass before they could even figure out what was happening. 

When they got up and dusted themselves off, they saw that the manager of the cafe was standing nearby, his arms crossed and an angry expression on his sharp features. 

"Do you mind?!" he tiraded, looking like he wanted to kill them on the spot. "You're scaring away my customers!" He broke off into a string of incoherent curses, muttering something about "kids these days"...

Magus, equally as red as Lucca was, hastily paid him and they both hurried off, noticing that they were getting freaked-out stares from the other patrons. 

"Y'know, that was really stupid," Lucca commented after they were out of hearing distance. 

Magus could only roll his eyes in reply.

And that was just a taste of what was to come...

***

"Ohhhhh, isn't he cute?!" Lucca smiled as she pointed at the kitten in the front window of the pet shop. It was white with brown patches, and it had such big blue eyes, and poofy fur...

It was now almost totally dark at this time, and Lucca and Magus had, since the disaster at the cafe, wandered around towards the business district, basically just walking around, window shopping, and enjoying each other's company. Nothing else to really do at the moment, at any rate...

Magus smirked. "Hmpfh! Alfador beats him by a mile!"

"Just shut up, Maggy. You're scaring me."

"Well, he DOES!"

"Gay alert! Gay alert! Raise the rainbow-colored fla-"

"I've said this before, and I'll say this again, I am NOT-"

"Lucca! LUCCA! Is that you?!"

A familiar voice broke out over the rumble of the crowded street, causing Lucca and Magus to both jump about a mile. They whirled around, knowing full well who it was before seeing her. It was Lucca's mother, of course.

Lucca groaned inwardly at the sight of her. She knew that her mother would be extremely mad. Not only was she supposed to be watching the house (even though her father HAD given her the house key so she could come and go as she pleased), but she was also with Magus as well. Hmmm...Porre...far away...boyfriend...what kind of images would that evoke in a mother's mind? 

And then there was the fact she was no longer crippled. Lara was now a lot more mobile than she had been a few days ago (and Lucca was very pleased to see that, despite the irony of the situation) and didn't have to depend on other people anymore to get her places. You see, as corny and coincidental it sounded, she had managed to do a little portal-hopping (or more like it had materialized out of thin air) the night before her first little rendezvous with Magus in the cave, to just minutes before Lara had been permanently crippled by one of Taban's experimental conveyer belts. Not only had she managed to save her mother from the wrath of the machine, but in this time line she could now walk normally as well. Geez, she had totally forgotten about it, when the whole debacle with Magus had erupted, but now-

"Um, hi, mom!" Lucca managed to choke out. "Um, never expected to see YOU here!" And boy, had she not. Even though, well duh, her parents HAD been going to Porre, and she had been told so the day they had left. 

Lara surveyed the couple calculatingly, but broke out into a smile a moment later. "Well, I never! Taban told me that you might have to leave, but I never thought I'd find you HERE, of all places! And I see you've got Janus with you, too! Hmmm..." She trailed off, getting the same look on her face as before.

Lucca sighed. Apparently the absence of her handicap made her a lot more even-tempered, but perhaps not totally... "Um, Mom, it's not what you think. You see, uh, I'm with Crono, too!" She made up some B.S. as fast as her brain could procure it. "I need help from both of them to buy some decent parts! Really! Honestly!"

"All right, all right, dear, it's just a mother's job to ask questions!" she replied. But she was looking from side-to-side... "But where IS Crono? Heaven knows I haven't seen the poor dear for a few months, his mother says he's been so busy lately-"

"We lost him," Magus cut in in his most friendly, conversational tone (although friendly and conversational wasn't exactly what he was feeling at the moment, if the increasing distance of which his fingernails were being driven into his palms were any indication). "We can't find him anywhere, but we believe he'll turn up at some point. Porre isn't THAT big."

"Well, I hope you can find him," Lara said, shifting the basket of fish that she was holding into her other hand. "But in the meantime, why don't you join us all for supper? I just came here to get some fish for it, and-"

"Supper? It's getting close to eight-thirty, Mom," Lucca piped up. 

Lara's eyes narrowed for yet a third time. "Oh, Nana made me burn the chicken again. Said it wasn't done and kept me standing there the whole time saying that I was such a terrible cook and that I should learn how to bake things properly until it actually DID turn out terrible." She continued to mutter under her breath.

"Huh? Nana? I thought you said she was gonna-"

"Oh, we thought it was the last time, too! Apparently it was just a false alarm! Really, the more she gets sick, the more healthier she seems to get!" Lara threw up her arms in exasperation. Perhaps you might think that it was mean, the way she was talking about her own mother and all, but then again...you don't know everything about Nana, do you?

The few times Lucca had ever seen Nana, things had been disastrous. Nana was an almost-deaf, ninety-year old hag that seemed to just get meaner and more cantankerous with each second more of existence. She was almost blind, and the glasses she wore were indeed even thicker than Lucca's. She constantly ragged on Lucca to be more lady-like and to stop "tinkerin' with them damn machines!" And of course, then there was the senility. She said things that should not be said, even by the most brutally honest, and of course she got away with it because she was "old" and supposedly "has no idea what she's saying." It was enough to drive everyone off the deep end themselves. This was no loveable old lady. THIS was the older than dirt, human incarnate of meanness. 

Lucca, suddenly noticing the possibility of a horrible situation (she had a feeling Magus and Nana might not take too kindly to each other), immediately tried to back out. "Well, that's very nice and all, Mom, but we really have to find Crono now-"

"No, really, though, Lucca! I insist! We've barely seen you once in the past three weeks, and it would be nice for us all to sit together at the table again. And I think it would be nice for you to come and visit Nana. She's seen you maybe only three times, hasn't she?" Lucca had a sneaking suspicion somehow, though, that her suggestion wasn't out of sheer kindness and respect for Nana, but more like for self-benefit on Lara's part. Well, self-benefit or not, it looked as if her mother had won this time, and she would have to grit her teeth, put on some armor, and drag Magus along for the ride. 

"Oh, I guess we can come," Lucca said sweetly, although it pained her to do so. "I bet Crono will turn up eventually." She tugged on Magus's hand (which she had been holding for the last hour), going, "Come on, sweetie" while kicking his ankle at the same time as Lara had started to turn to lead the way (he wasn't looking to happy with the change of plans at the moment). 

"Nana's house is this way," she called back over her shoulder to them, pointing over to the right. "It's not far, just two streets, dears!" The two lovebirds reluctantly followed. 

As Lara led the way down the busy street, Lucca and Magus trailed behind, speaking in hushed voices about the unexpected turn of events. 

"I TOLD you we should have stayed at the hotel."

"Oh, shut up, fanghead! How was _I _to know this was gonna happen?!"

"I don't know, but it's still your fault!"

"Hey butthead, listen to me quick. You are a twenty-one year old dentist from Porre that enjoys gardening and carpentry in his leisure time. Got it?"

"Hey, I'm much older than THAT, four-eyes! I'm twenty-eight, get that straight! Geez..." Magus rolled his eyes. "I would have to have been ELEVEN when I killed Cyrus, geek, ELEVEN! And I sure as HELL do not like gardening!"

"Well, I had to tell my parents SOMETHING about you that one night! I don't know what you do in your spare time!"

"But gardening?! GARDENING?!"

"Oh, just shut up for a minute. I'm not finished yet!" Lucca glared at her companion. "Remember to be polite to Nana, no matter how much you want to incinerate her. I want NOTHING from you, no Dark Bombs, no Black Holes, not even a little Fire spell! And most importantly of all: _whatever you do, if she takes out her dentures and pretends to talk to you with them, you MUST laugh. _I mean it!"

"Oh God, I can just see this already. Can't I pretend to fall ill or something?"

"No, I need support. You are staying with me, and THAT'S FINAL!"

"Support?! What is she, an ax-murderer?! Oh, the things I do for you, four-eyes..."

"You must REALLY have it bad for me to brave Nana, that's all I'm gonna say, fanghead."

"Hmpfh!" Although his grip on her tightened at that comment, just a little...

***

A wise man once said, "Eventually all good things must come to an end." This event was no exception to the rule, Lucca mused as they slowly but surely approached Nana's house. The place had a foreboding look to it, although on the outside it seemed just to be your normal, two-story white house with a string of creepers growing on the eastern end. If only the passerbys knew the horror of what was within that abode...

Author's Note: Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!! I was planning to squeeze the whole dinner with Nana thing into one chapter, but my fingers just seemed to fly on the keyboard a little too fast. Dammit! And I wanted to write the most evil cliffhanger known to man, too! That's what happens when you have chronic insaneness. Anyhow, I have no idea how many chapters EXACTLY that I have yet. I tend to write more than I plan to, although I know how everything's ending and what will transpire later on. At this point I'm saying maybe four or five more...but I'm never going over twenty, no matter what. If I STILL want to write more, hell, I'll just write another Lu/Ma with all my old ideas sometime down the road. But not right away! Dear no, I need a break! (And I've got a Yuffentine I wanna write!)

Here are a some shameless plugs (as red mage calls them) of some of my favorite stories in this category (most of them being Lu/Mas, of course). If you want a more complete list of some of the ones I've already plugged, then go back to chapters eight or nine (somewhere in that neighborhood). They're all really good!

ShadowMage: by Imania

Old Quarrels, New Love: by Rhianwen

The Entity's Revenge: by red mage

Husbandry: by Chrislea

Just Hungry: by Sailor Leo

The Prophet's Apprentice: by Dark Creation

Oh, and remember to review, of course! Please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top? Honestly, they help me write better chapters! 


	16. Dinner With Nana

Disclaimer: What?! I DON'T own Chrono Trigger! That's news! Oh well.

Author's Note: Again, I implore you to help me with the rating. There's a little, um, well---you'll see. (And I know what some of you are thinking! Geez, it's not THAT!) I think the rating's up to ff.net standards personally, but if anyone thinks it's R material then by all means tell me so thru a review so I can do a little re-editing. Thank you!

Lucca leaned against the wall, her head buried in her hands. She was ashamed. Anguished. Well, perhaps anguish was too weak a word for her current situation. There probably _was_ no one word to describe the hellish events that were going to take place in just a few minutes. Why her? WHY HER?! What horrible atrocity had she committed in a previous life to ever deserve THIS?! Having Magus around her parents was bad enough. But around Nana?! She might as well prepare a fallout shelter for the inevitable disaster. 

And she might as well build it right here, in the bathroom.

Yes, you heard it right. She was in the bathroom. Why she always chose to flee here to avoid confrontation was beyond her. Perhaps it was the soothing cool of the ceramic floor tiles... Perhaps it was the fact that there was always a bolt on the door and you could lock out unwelcome annoyances... Perhaps even in this case it was because it was the room furthest away from the kitchen on the ground floor. Who knew the right answer?

But she supposed she'd better stop stalling and not leave Magus in the lurch. Things were already going downhill, if her parents constantly grilling him with embarrassing questions was any indication. But that was just the beginning. When Nana came out----oh boy. She hadn't been exaggerating when she had given him that warning against using any destructive magic within her formidable presence. He didn't know the horror of her being. Oh no, not yet. But he would soon enough. 

Luckily, Nana was nowhere to be seen yet. Taban had said she was upstairs taking a nap, but not before complaining her ass off about Lara's poor cooking skills (he wasn't too fond of his mother-in-law, if you couldn't tell). Unfortunately, though, this couldn't last forever. Supper would be ready anytime now.

Lucca sighed and decided to just leave the bathroom already. She couldn't postpone the day of horror forever, after all. Quietly unbolting the door, she turned the knob soundlessly and allowed it to creak halfway open by itself-

"Agh!"

There stood Magus, right in front of the door, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, and NOT looking in a happy mood.

"Explain."

Rolling her eyes, Lucca grabbed his arm and dragged him back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind them. "YOU gave me quite a scare, mister! Might I ask how long you've been standing out there waiting for me?!"

"Not long at all. Explain."

"Oh, what CAN I say?!"

"Considering the fact that you're hiding HERE, which you only do when you're desperately trying to avoid someone, you're obviously upset. So explain."

Lucca was slightly surprised at his small show of concern (and the fact that he had figured out her habits in a few short weeks), but tried to "explain" as best she could. "Let's put it this way: wouldn't YOU be rather scared if the two of us were forced to dine with YOUR parents and your insane old grandmother?"

"No."

"Well, I am! Heck, I'd even be scared if you WEREN'T around! Just take care not to anger Nana; she'll never forget it if you do!"

"I'll ask you this again: WHY didn't we stay at the hotel?! I can think of hundreds of things I'd rather be doing at the moment, and yes, that includes scraping my gums endlessly with a rusty nail."

"Don't act smart! This is not the time for your sarcastic one-liners! Just shut up and act polite when you're out there! I MEAN IT!!"

Magus sighed. "I have no idea why I'm putting up with this..."

"I don't know, because of your endless, undying love for me that knows no bounds?" Lucca asked him teasingly, a small smile forming on her lips.

She only got a glare in reply.

"I thought so. Now might I suggest we stop talking and get back to the kitchen? This looks pretty bad with us in here. My parents might think we're having -you know- a quickie or something." She blushed crimson as the thought of it (although...hmmm...).

Magus had nothing to say. He just smirked and reached for the door.

***

Lucca paled at the sight that awaited them in the kitchen. Oh no---it looked as if Nana had awoken a little early. There she stood, right in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the pair with her crusty, half-closed eyes, a scowl permanently etched on her face... Uh oh, it looked like she was in one of her moods today...

Nana had been quite a formidable woman in her time ("in her time" meaning back when she was still young and spry), but the eight hundred or so years that had passed since then had taken their toll, and she was now down to five feet even and perhaps under a hundred pounds. Her mean attitude hadn't shrunk along with her height, however...

Of course she still held the helpless exterior of a sweet, little old lady that handed out nickels to children and crocheted pillowcases for her grandkids. Her snow-white hair was rolled up into a neat bun atop her head and she wore a large, fuzzy-pink bathrobe that covered her form; matching slippers encased her bony feet. She held a long, twisted walnut cane in one heavily veined hand to help her walk. But then there were the eyes. The eyes were what gave her away. Those dark, calculating eyes that pierced right through you and could almost tell what you were thinking (a lot like Magus's, actually, but his was not in a bad way). No sweet, loveable old lady could have eyes like that. Oh, and one more thing---about the cane? She had a tendency to hit things and even sometimes people with it (if you looked closely you could see the scrapes and dents from previous transgressions on it). 

Anyway, it was those dark, calculating eyes that stared intensely at Lucca as Lara smiled and rambled on, "Well, there she is! There's your granddaughter! Say hi to Nana, Lucca!"

"Um, hi," Lucca squeaked, putting her hands behind her back demurely and trying to look like a sweet little girl.

"Well, it's YOU," Nana snorted in reply, coming up to her and squinting at her face, forcing her to lean back in fear. "Huh, still as boy-like as ever. Ever heard of a dress and some makeup, girl?"

This caused Magus, who was standing behind them, to cough loudly in an attempt to keep himself from laughing. Lucca shot him a warning glare, but it was too late. Nana had taken notice of him. 

She turned her near-sighted eyes towards him, giving him a once-over in about two seconds before croaking, "And who's that with you? Never seen him before---those goddamn census takers! They never give ya a moment's peace!"

Lara proffered, "Oh no, that's Janus. He's Lucca's boyfriend. Her first---actually."

"Oh, really?" Nana replied almost menacingly, narrowing her crust-filled eyes. "Well, c'mere closer, lad---let me 'ave a look at yer face, my eyes don't see what they used to. Come on now! I don't bite, but my dentures do! Heheheh!"

Magus reluctantly stepped forward, sort of leaning back, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else on earth at the moment. And for good reason---Nana brushed her teeth about once a year. 

Nana peered at him through her enormous glasses for a full moment, studying his face intently. Suddenly she broke out into a twisted smile. 

"Well well, _you're _certainly a goodly-built one," she cackled. "Now if I were about thirty years younger, I'd try 'n' have a go with you, THAT'S for sure."

Aghast at her lewd comment, Magus just stood stock-still, unsure of what he should do next. Finally, seeing that everyone else in the room wasn't going to shut her up and/or help him, he finally managed to reply, "Er---that's nice."

"Speak up, will ya sonny?" Nana said in a loud voice, turning her ear sideways. "I'm as deaf as all Hell!"

There was, again, a complete silence. After a literal moment had passed, Taban decided to come to the rescue. "Hey, why doesn't everyone sit down? I didn't set the table for nothing, you know!"

***

Dinner began with a nerve-racking silence, excluding the forced small talk that everyone was forced to undergo. Lara and Taban of course encouraged this, which probably was a bad idea. After all, Nana DID have some very fixed opinions on current events and could get quite heated if someone disagreed with her. 

Nothing extremely bad happened, not until about ten tense minutes had passed, at any rate. It was then that Lara decided to get into details about Magus's personal life. "So Janus, why don't you tell Nana about what you do for a living?" 

"Oh uh, uh-" (_Damn, what was it again?) _Lucca kicked him soundly under the table,

causing him to wince. "I'm a dentist!" he finally spat out, trying to glare at Lucca while attempting to seem credible at the same time.

Nana smiled at him serenely. "Oh, a dentist, eh? Well, you c'n check out _my _teeth at any time, sonny." With that comment said, she reached into her mouth and removed her dentures. Plopping them into a nearby glass of water, she then shoved it over Magus's way. 

Magus wrinkled his nose. "Egh---nice," was all he dared to utter out loud.

Lucca couldn't help it. She suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. The look on Magus's face as he stared at the glass of dentures was just too much for her to bear. 

Of course, though, this wouldn't go without consequences. She immediately got glares that could kill from BOTH Nana and Lara. Taban, who was sitting to her right, whispered desperately into her ear, "Quit it or we'll all get killed!" Magus didn't do anything. He continued to stare at the dentures, which floated softly within the clear glass, as if hypnotized. 

As soon as Lucca was able to compose herself, Nana narrowed her eyes until they were almost closed and declared her opinion in her grating voice (although perhaps grating wasn't the word for it, as everything she said sounded funny with the removal of her dentures). "Hm! Well, YOU haven't changed at all, ya little purple-haired chit! Nope, not at all! Still tinkerin' with them damn machines all the time, I suppose! Why don'tcha hit some sense inta that girl's head, Lara?! I would 'ave raised m' stick to that little ingrate when she was five years old!" She banged her stick on the table for emphasis, causing the china plates to rattle jarringly. 

Ah yes, here was the Mean Nana. Up until now there had been the Nice Nana, placated by a recent nap. But now...she was back. And worse than ever. And it had to be added that whenever she was in Mean Nana mode, this was the time when she ragged on Lucca constantly. This was looking to be a hell of a long dinner....

Lara said in reply to Nana's diatribe, "Now Nana, I've told you again and again that we don't believe in hitting children. And there's already plenty of sense in Lucca's head if you ask me! Taban's always saying how intelligent and what a help to him she is!"

"Hm! Well I DON'T ask you, Lara, and I never did! Yew all must think I was born under a cabbage leaf or somethin'! THAT'S EXACTLY THE PROBLEM, I SAY! Now I'll tell ya somethin' anyway, girl, something MY mother told me and something HER mother told HER...Men don't LIKE girls who're smart!! Like YOU, girl! All a girl YER age should be concerned about is her wedding! HM, and you don't even do THAT!! Yer chances of snagging a man are dismal, DISMAL I TELL YOU!!" She banged her stick again, harder this time, managing to pick her nose at the same time with her other knobbly hand. 

Lucca was about to point out that she had a man right here, but Nana didn't even give her a chance to reply. She went on, her eye twitching convulsively, "Yew don't totally have hope against ya, girl, but yew don't have a lot, either. Yew can't change the looks yer born with, for one thing. I don't know how normal-lookin' parents could possibly produce an ugly-lookin' girl like YOU, I say-" She banged her stick yet again, but this time even harder than the first two whacks combined. This caused the glass with the dentures to spill over---right onto Magus's lap.

A hush pervaded the room immediately. Magus just stared blankly down at the dentures, not wanting to touch them at all. He inwardly cursed himself for not wearing his gloves. 

Nana was the first one to say something. "Well, give 'em here, sonny," she cackled, an old, withered smile spreading upon her wrinkled features. "They won't bite ya. Or should I say, I hope not, eh?" She threw back her head and laughed a grating, croaky laugh that caused everyone around to give off an involuntary shudder.

Lucca rolled her eyes. "Oh, hold still!" she commanded Magus; and, grabbing a napkin, she then proceeded to gingerly pick the accursed chewing instruments up from his lap. Smiling sweetly, she handed the bundle to Nana, who had lost interest in the dentures and was now looking down at something else. 

Lara was still a little concerned. "Oh, Janus, honey?" she inquired, looking more than a little frazzled. "I bet you're sopping wet from that -uh- glass. Why don't you go to the bathroom and wash up?"

The voice that replied was that of a man who had undergone many impossible trials laced with his usual deadly sarcasm. "Now that," he declared, "is a capital idea. I think I shall do that. But first I need a favor-" He stared at Nana pointedly.

Nana gave him her toothless old grin. "Anything you want, sonny!"

"Will you get your hand off my leg?"

Nana's face fell but she did as he asked. Magus then went off and headed down the hallway adjoining the kitchen with his usual sweeping gait. 

Lucca sighed. Crap. Now her safety net was gone. How wonderful. And things couldn't get much worse; Nana was on an especially bad roll tonight. Hitting on Magus---was she insane? She stared intently across the table at her grandmother. Was the woman drunk? Nope---she looked perfectly sober. All of her actions were of her own free will. Shifting slightly in her seat, Lucca crossed her legs and hoped for the best, praying that she wouldn't be seeing any explosions or black holes coming from the direction of the bathroom any time soon. She had seen the look on Magus's face when he had hurried off, and it had looked like he had just swallowed a whole can of motor oil. That, obviously, could not be good. 

The remaining four continued to eat in silence. Or as silent as it could get, considering that Nana always slurped and chewed noisily when she ate. Lucca stared at the woman in hatred. This was starting to be one of the most embarrassing nights of her life. Magus DID have a point; why _hadn't _they just stayed and had a quiet night back at the hotel? 

After slurping up a huge chunk of fish and crunching loudly on its brittle, flaky bones, Nana decided that it was time to start up again. "What be you lookin' at, girl?" she challenged Lucca boldly. "Yew just angry about me tellin' the truth?! You're a DISGRACE to my family, a DISGRACE I tell you! If I wuz YOUR mother, I'd-"

She continued on and on with her tirade, barely pausing to even take a breath. Lucca was forced to doggedly listen to her ranting, as she had no other option at the moment. As time went on, she continued to become more and more red in the cheeks and even silently implored to Lara and Taban for some help, but they shook their heads helplessly. Not even THEY could stand up against the evilness of Nana. 

Suddenly, though, something nudged her foot. Lucca looked around her to find the source, only to find that in the middle of all this Magus had returned. She hadn't even noticed; after all, pretending to be extremely absorbed in your plate of fish was quite a daunting task. But what was he doing?!

His intent became quite clear when she was nudged again, and his lower leg slowly but deliberately began to wrap itself around hers. Of all the weird things that had happened _already _tonight, of all the things good and evil...he was trying to play FOOTSIE with her! She stared at him incredulously, wondering if he was drunk and/or insane, but there was no sign of anything. Just a mischievous smirk on his face. So he wanted to play with her head, did he? Well, she'd have to fight back!

She wrapped her other foot around his tightly, working to get her smaller shoe into the wide opening of the top of his boot. Of course, it didn't work. He just coiled his leg around tighter, lightly touching it with his other foot. Ooooo, damn him! He had easily won!

Lucca silently cursed to herself, figuring out her next move. It would have to be quick; the feeling was so nice and warm, but her circulation was getting cut off. Inspiration suddenly struck and she decided to kick her companion with her half-free foot. Hard.

"OW!"

Everyone turned to stare at him curiously. Even Nana quit her rants and looked over at Magus, who was trying to look inconspicuous while managing to rub his ankle at the same time.

"Is there anything wrong, Janus?" Lara questioned, putting down her fork.

"Um, no," Lucca interceded, trying to think fast. "Um, um, he's just so WORRIED about Crono, you see. The poor guy might be completely lost by now for all we know!"

At this Lara glanced at the clock. "Heavens, look at the time! It's nearly nine-thirty! I had totally lost track of time!" She stood up. "I think you two had better leave and go look for him. Poor boy, he could get mugged or kidnapped out on these dangerous streets!"

Lucca and Magus needed no second bidding. Untangling their other feet from each other, they immediately stood up and hurried for the door as fast as possible, Lucca calling out a hasty goodbye to her parents.

Lara followed them out to the front porch. "Listen, I'm so sorry about my mother, Janus," she said apologetically, leaning on the front rail. "Now I can't say that what she did was totally abnormal, but...She's been on so much medication lately that she doesn't even know what she's been saying."

"Oh, that's all right," said Magus in his most charming voice, putting his hand on Lucca's shoulder and starting to turn away. "She's quite a piece compared to MY parents. Mother's been feeling quite suicidal of late, and Father---well, what can I say---HE'S been dead ever since she pushed him off the highest place in the world."

"Oh, you poor dear!" Lara exclaimed, feeling quite touched at this story. "You must have had quite a time growing up!"

Magus just rolled his eyes.

"Well, see you two!" Lara went on. "Make sure you find Crono now! Take care!"

***

It had clouded up while they had been in Nana's house, so they only had the yellowish light of the street lamps to go by as they headed back to the hotel.

"Medication my ass," Magus fumed quietly, his hands jammed in his pockets. "That woman had it in for me!"

"Well, at least she liked YOU, buddy," Lucca retorted. "You didn't have her telling you that you were worthless, ugly, and dorky!"

"Need I remind you?! You ARE dorky."

"Oh, hush a minute! And why were you playing footsie with me before you left?! I'm sure it wasn't because of any warm feelings in your good old heart!"

"Well, you needed SOMETHING to distract you while you were getting the ass chewing of your life! And I also knew you would be angry..."

"I sure was!" Lucca shot back. "And weirded out! You're the LAST person who would ever start up a game of footsie under a table!"

"Hmpfh!"

"Oh, hmpfh yourself! I hope Nana sprayed corn all over your fat face! You WERE sitting pretty close, weren't you?"

"Not by choice. And I've had worse happen to me. Ozzie eating a whole barrel of fish heads right next to you DOES spell disaster, doesn't it?"

"Well, at least _I _didn't get hit on by a ninety year-old woman!"

"At least _I _wasn't called a purple-haired chit---ten consecutive times!"

"At least _I _didn't have a pair of dentures thrown into my lap and was too scared to pick 'em up!"

"What WAS that about anyway?" He gave her a sideways glance. "Although-" He turned back and gave her a meaningful look.

Lucca got his meaning. "You- YOU PERVERT!" she screeched angrily, looking for something on the ground to chuck at him. She found a clump of mud and ended up throwing that. It hit his upper arm and caused him to throw some back. It hit the top of her head and caused HER call out some very choice words at him.

A totally chaotic mud-fight then ensued in which there was no clear winner. Each one pelted the other with clumps of mud, kicking up stagnant water from the previous day's rains. 

"You BASTARD! I just BOUGHT that shirt!"

"Hmpfh! Too bad, geek!"

"You're such a pervert, you know that?! Maybe everything I've been saying about you all long is TRUE!"

"You wish!"

"And what is THAT supposed to mean, you ass?!"

***

They finally limped back to the hotel a half an hour later, the mud plastered all over them finally starting to dry. Magus shut his room door behind them, and gave Lucca quite the imposing glare.

"Now next time anyone suggests going out, you will say-"

"No way in HELL!"

"Perfect."

"Hey, is that a hot tub in there?" Lucca wondered, shuffling towards the bathroom. "Damn you! All I've got is a shower! And Ayla. Who snores." She looked up towards the ceiling, which was directly under her room, wincing at the thought. 

"I pity you."

"You should!" Lucca shot back. "And that's why I'm taking my bath here! But promise me something first!"

"And what would that be?"

"That you won't do what you did last time!"

"And that is?" Magus continued to prompt.

Lucca stood up on her tiptoes and imitated Magus. "YOU! Get out of there! You shouldn't be angering, I, the Mystic King who failed to summon Lavos, or I'll incinerate you to an ashy pulp!"

"Uh, no."

"Good."

"Good."

"..."

"..."

Oh no, it was the awkward silence again. This ALWAYS happened when they were alone, and as a rule it had to be uncomfortable and tension-filled. Because although they had finally confessed their feelings to one another, it was almost as if they were afraid...

"Uh..."

"Uh..."  


"Oh, just come here already!" 

"You could have SAID something, you know, instead of just standing there." Magus crossed the room in one swift movement, wrapping his arms around her and gently sneaking a kiss on her mouth.

"Well, why didn't YOU just say something?" Lucca pointed out as his head dipped down to give especial attention to her neck. She shuddered at he nipped at the tender skin gently and worked up to along her jawline.

He replied with a harder, more bruising kiss, causing her to inhale sharply as his tongue slid into her mouth to meet hers. Lucca's hands worked up from his shoulders to his neck, massaging his pale skin lightly, as his slid down ever further to end up down near her hips. He suddenly broke the kiss, allowing it to linger by biting her lower lip slightly...

She let out a silent whimper as he started up yet again, this time pressing her to him tightly and kissing her more passionately than ever, causing both of them to moan. Her hand flew up to stroke his hair, which was still full of dust and dried mud. As soon as he broke their liplock yet again, this time her biting _his _lip, she firmly grabbed his hands and urged that they quit standing up doing this. Hence, the sofa.

"Why do you always seem to like this the most when I'm dirty, smelly, angry at you, or crying?" she half-whispered to him there, snuggling up to him from the side.

"I have no idea," he murmured feverishly, pulling the collar of her shirt back slightly and planting kisses on her bare, warm shoulder. "There's no-"

Lucca shut him up by kissing him herself. When they had parted, however, she remembered something...

"I honestly should take that bath now."

Magus groaned. "Why do you always come up with an idea whenever we're in the middle of something?"

"Oh no, you've got me wrong."

"Then enlighten me," he half-muttered as he kissed the base of her neck.

"You're coming, too."

"Oh, really?..." He seemed to get her drift.

"Now."

"I'm not complaining."

They both got up and headed for the bathroom, making sure to shut the door behind them.

Author's Note: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! There, now that that's out, I can rest easily. I've got just three more chapters now, but I have to tell you, things are gonna take a turn for the serious. It's towards the end, after all. There's no way I can make a last battle funny. Not unless I have some Sin/Lavos slash, anyway. Just kidding, just kidding! I'm not really a fan of slash, but Sin and Lavos slash, ugh, that's just terrible.

And remember to review this, please! I know I've probably said this every chapter, but please: REVIEW!! 


	17. That Meddlesome Spikehead!

Disclaimer: And YOU think I own Chrono Trigger? Tch tch! Go read my 15 or so other disclaimers!

Author's Note: If you haven't noticed already, this is one monster of a chapter. That's my excuse for it being out late, anyway. 

Oh, yeah: and here's a warning: *Sirens wail and alarm bell rings* This chapter might be classified as really cliche. Or at least that's what I thought, anyway. *Sighs* I must be getting soft. Well, here it is:

Lucca groaned as she felt the strong ray of sunlight hit her closed eyelids. It was morning...already? Heavens, it felt like she had gotten no sleep the previous night. She tried to roll over onto her side and throw the covers over her head so she could go back into another deep, dreamless slumber, but, well...her leg hit something.

As she opened her eyes and became fully conscious, the memories of the previous night flooded back to her in a rush. Ah, yes...and what a night it had been, she reflected unashamedly as she her eyes fell on Magus, whose head was barely peeking out of the covers. He was lying on his stomach, breathing lightly, apparently still dead to the world.

She stretched outwards in a cat-like manner, her hands hitting the bed's headboard gently. The room's nippy air felt sharp in contrast to the soft warmth of the blankets, so she quickly folded them behind her head, pulling the coverlets more closely over her and allowing herself to just lie in bed in kind of a feverish, happy stupor.

***

__

Magus grinned devilishly at his companion on the opposite side of the tub, his ripped, muscled arms crossed over his equally buff chest. "So...I take it we're not here just to get clean, are we?"

Lucca could only reply with an indistinct noise coming from the back of her throat, perhaps something akin to a low moan or growl. There were absolutely NO words that could describe what her intentions were. Or the absolute yumminess that was Magus at the moment.

His skin was slightly flushed, a patch of white bubbles slowly sliding down his cheek. His hair clung wetly to his neck, now a darker cyan than was usual but no less beautiful. She could only view a fraction of his chest area, as there was a thick layer of bubbles that smelled of freesia covering the entire tub, but what she could see was pleasing, wet and extremely well-developed. At the moment he was smirking at her, his lips slightly parted seductively...

She replied, upsetting the water so that he was hit by a bubble-filled wave, "Getting clean? Of COURSE that's what we're here for, you dope! Let's get going so we can have an early bedtime and we're all ready to fight monsters tomorrow!"

He splashed back. "You know, you're a terrible actor."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course. Now why don't you come over here?"

"No, YOU come over here. I shouldn't have to move!"

"You move!"

"No, YOU move!"

"Oh, all right, all right. You win..."

***

And that's how it STARTED, at any rate... 

And it was all so strange. The events of the night previous were almost EXACTLY like the dream she had had with Crono, now roughly about a week ago. Almost EXACTLY, except for, well, two obvious things, being Number One: that Magus and Crono had switched places and that Number Two: a little more had went on this time. It had almost been like that dream had been a premonition of what was to come...

Well, no use thinking about it anymore, Lucca thought as she glared over at Magus, who had begun to snore. She decided to wake him up, as, going by the angle of the sun which was now watching them from a high point out of their eastern window, it was starting to get late.

"Magus?"

"Hmmmmmmm...?"

"Magus?"

"Mrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh..."  


"MAGUS!"

The third time she whomped him on the head with her pillow, causing him to fully wake up. He stared at her, blinking sleepily and looking very stoned. "Wha?"

"I think we'd better get up, or we'll have some unwelcome visitors knocking at your door soon!" she said to him testily, crossing her arms over her chest.

He lazily pointed to the bedside clock nearby. "Look, it's only eight o'clock. NOBODY will be up yet, least of all those two lovebirds next door. And besides, we were up until sunrise." He closed his eyes again, putting an arm around her waist and attempting to go back to sleep.

Lucca shut up. He DID have a point, after all. And as for getting more sleep, she wasn't arguing. Just as SHE was starting to drift off herself...

Magus sat up as if a shot had gone off. "Damn! I nearly forgot!"

"What?"

"Is one of my spellbooks lying on the floor near your side?"

"Yeah, here." With some effort as she was so lethargic, she produced the spellbook and handed it to him.

He hurriedly paged through the musty volume, muttering, "It had BETTER be in here...Oh, good. That's a relief." Squinting at one of the pages, which was written in some arcane, obscure language, he then unceremoniously placed his hand on her stomach and began to chant.

Being a little scared, Lucca stopped him and shook off his hand. "WHAT are you doing, you idiot?"

"Hold still! And don't interrupt me this time! You don't want to hear the pitter-patter of little feet any time soon, do you?" He stared at her with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, well, in that case, keep going," she replied, putting his hand back.

No sooner had he performed the spell than there was a knock on the door. Lucca jumped and was suddenly starting to feel quite anxious, but Magus alleviated her fears. "Not to worry. I believe I asked for a wake-up call around now last night before you showed up."

The knock on the door was heard again, now more persistently. "Oh, I'll get it," Lucca said, throwing on Magus's bathrobe and stomping over to the door, which was located in a little alcove just out of sight of the bedroom. As she continued to wake up more and more she began to get more and more self-conscious in front of him and kind of wanted to leave...

She opened the door only to get the biggest surprise and embarrassment of her life. Marle. 

Marle's face positively lit up the minute she spotted Lucca. The mussed hair, that tired expression, her LOCATION, that could only mean one thing...

Lucca knew that she had only seconds to defend herself. "It's not what you think!"

Marle cracked a wicked grin. "Sure it's not. How do you explain that robe you're wearing, then?"

Damn! Marle one point, Lucca zero! Lucca thought as she looked down at the giant plaid robe that she was wearing. "Oh, all right, all right!" she confessed, blushing scarlet. "It's EVERYTHING you think!"

"Everything?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Is there a problem?" a voice suddenly cut in from behind Lucca. There stood Magus, fully-dressed, albeit a little haphazardly, his trademark scowl positively showing.

"Um---no..." Now it was Marle's turn to blush. "It's just that Crono wants us to leave now---and, oh hell!" she continued, breaking into a sunny grin. "I knew this would happen! I thought it was only a matter of time!"

"And?"

"And, and---congratulations!"

"For what? You seem awfully interested in something..."

"Oh, oh, never mind!" Marle waved it off, although the blood rushed to her head again. "Just get dressed, you two! We're leaving in half an hour!" She left, shutting the door behind her. 

Magus turned away. "Hmpfh! I fail to notice why she was so excited."

Lucca rolled her eyes, still red. "She thinks she was responsible for this, that's why. And now you can bet on it that she'll tell everyone."

"Let her! I really don't care, as long as I don't have to endure her blank stare and empty-headed comments all day!"

Lucca couldn't help but suppress a snort.

***

Lucca sat on top of the small hillock, watching the day draw to a glorious close. The reddish-orange rays of the sun spread out all over the surrounding fields and wooden houses, basking them in the final warmth of the day. It was truly a beautiful sight to see. But perhaps her last sunset, as far as she knew...

It was almost their journey's end. Tomorrow they would head for the End of Time to question Gaspar one last time, then hop into the Epoch and arrive at 1999 A.D., the apocalypse. From there they would try to put an end to the evil that was Lavos once and for all. It was agreed that everyone that they would go straight there and not bother with the Black Omen; in theory if Lavos said sayonara, so would it. 1999 A.D. was the only other known way they could reach him, as he was burrowed deep into the ground at any other time period. 

Lucca was nervous of course, this possibly final night, but also strangely calm. She would have her friends right there with her (especially Magus) no matter what happened She was prepared for anything.

Four days had passed since the incident with Marle, and they had completed several more quests. They now had the power of the Sun Stone and the Rainbow Shell, and Marle's unhappy relationship with her father had finally come to a quite "happy" end, thanks to Queen Leene. And it had to be mentioned that Marle had been surprisingly quiet about that whole morning, believe it or not. No one said anything about it, nor even seemed to know. Lucca was relieved at that, and despite what he had said, so was Magus. Maybe the satisfaction of knowing she had been right had been enough for Marle, perhaps not. Even so, it was kind of weird.

Right now she was back at her house again, or, to put it more specifically, on a hillock a short distance from her house. They had come back here for the night so that Lucca could tune up the Epoch for their final battle; it was pivotal that the vehicle was in good working order, as there might come the time that they would have to flee the area during or after the battle. She hadn't started the tune-up yet, but there would be plenty of time for that during the night; she wouldn't be able to sleep too much anyway, since a lot of thoughts about tomorrow weighed upon her head.

Although the others were planning on coming back to spend the night at some point, a lot of them had left to go somewhere at the moment. Crono, Marle, and Frog had headed up to Guardia Castle; for Crono and Marle it was to see her father, and for Frog it was to see the castle that he loved for perhaps one last time, since it was not practical to go back to 600 A.D. Ayla was sleeping on the living room sofa, as far as Lucca knew, and Robo was off buying some basic items for the fight tomorrow. And then there was Magus...

Lucca had no clue where Magus was. She was quite curious to know where the hell he had went, but he had dropped no hints about his destination when he had left. All he said was, "I shall be back tonight, but I have something I must do first..." It was quite mysterious. And annoying. They had had no "alone-time" ever since Porre, thanks to one-room inns, and Lucca was hoping that they might have some...

"Oy, Lucca!" a clear voice called from below the hill. Lucca started and turned around, only to see Crono coming up the hill behind her. _(What is he doing here all alone?) _she wondered, staring down at him curiously. She waited until he was within normal speaking distance to ask him about this.

"Oh, well, Frog got a little, um, carried away when we got to the Castle, so Marle's walking around giving him a tour," he replied, rolling his eyes as he sat down on the grass next to her. "And I wanted to speak to you anyway. I should have really said something a few days ago, but you know how busy we've been."

"Talk to me?" Lucca echoed curiously. "About what?" And she seriously had no clue. This comment from Crono had come suddenly out of the sky. 

Crono blushed. "Well, um, I don't know how to start, but, um-"  


"Well, you'll have to start," Lucca pointed out logically. "Otherwise I'll have no idea what you want." Suddenly, though, for some unknown reason a black feeling emerged from the pit of her stomach. He looked so nervous about saying what he was going to say... This wasn't going to be good, whatever it was...

"Well, ah, you remember the last time we were here? You know, about a week ago when you fixed the Epoch?" Lucca nodded at his question.

Crono cleared his throat anxiously. "Well, then, ah, the second day we were back...I saw something that maybe I shouldn't have. You might not know it, but that day around noon I came over to invite you to my house; we were having a picnic and we thought you might wanna come over and join us. Well, when I got close I saw something. You and Magus were, well, ---how should I put it--- flirting with each other viciously using a garden hose. You were both laughing and screaming and looking like you might start going at it at any minute, so-"

Lucca turned beet red. "Oh God, you saw that?! And I thought no one knew-"

Once Crono had started, he was able to explain himself quite well. "I knew I'd better not show myself or one of you'd probably disembowel me with the hose, so I ended up leaving you guys alone and going back to my house. I never said anything and I never told anyone, not even Marle, but I know it all the same, and I wanna know what exactly is going on." He crossed his arms and waited for her answer. Apparently he wasn't too happy with the whole affair, just as she thought he would be...

Lucca was completely speechless. "Uh...uh..."

Crono, however, was not going to stop anytime soon. "And that's not all," he added. "Four days ago, I believe, me and Marle were walking around in Porre enjoying the night, and I-well-saw you two again. You were at a cafe and literally sucking each other faces off. Marle didn't see it, but I did, and, uh, it looks like you two are pretty serious. You were halfway in his lap, and, well..." He trailed off, looking very uncomfortable but still a little angry.

Again, Lucca was totally speechless and couldn't utter a word in her defense.

Suddenly, though, Crono's mood changed. Switching from anger to just concern, he put a hand on her shoulder and said to her very softly, "Lucca, we've been friends ever since we were little, and I can't help but worry about you. I've gotten to know Magus and I know that he isn't what we thought he was at first, but I still don't know what kind of a person he really is for sure, and...I just- I just- I just worry over this. That one day when you were crying---I'm sure it has something to do with it all. Do you really want to be with someone that makes you cry? I don't know---I don't know anything. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

Ah, that was Crono. Making immediate assumptions again. Making the bold (or in this case, rather awkward) confrontation so he could figure out everything. Lucca had no idea where to start. Although Crono had some very good points about things that even she hadn't quite come to terms with yet, she still had to set the record straight with him. 

"You don't have to worry about me, Crono" she replied quietly, putting her hands in her lap. "I know you're worried, but I'm able to take care of myself. If I thought my relationship with Magus was in any way bad for me, I would immediately back out. But it's not. In fact, it's better than I ever thought possible..."

"All right," Crono said, glancing sidelong at her, still looking a little concerned. "I believe you all the way when you say that. But I'll always be your friend, so you must promise me something." He drew up his knees to his chin. "You must promise me that if- that if - that if anything happens you call it quits. OK?" He looked over at her again intensely.

"Yes, I promise, Crono," Lucca said back softly, staring at him back. She couldn't believe the distrust that he held for Magus at the moment, but then again, he was just watching out for her. Like he always had... "I promise. And don't you go worrying every second about me!" she added, wagging her finger. "You don't need that burden! We've got enough happening, anyway..."

He looked skyward. "We sure do. I hope tomorrow will come out all right... Because if it doesn't-"

"Don't think about it, Crono! Just don't worry!" she exclaimed. "I know I can't do it myself, but---it doesn't hurt to try, does it? We're as ready as we'll ever be; we may as well just enjoy the moment while it's here!"

  
"I know, I know...But I was never able to do that; I've always worried too much about the future, Lucca. There've been a lot of things that I never did but should have done, things I did but shouldn't have done, and things I haven't even done yet and don't know whether I should do or not. And now I might never be able to do anything ever again..." 

His slight lapse of gloominess was suddenly dispelled, however, when he smiled and recalled fondly, "You know, I have a lot of great memories of us back before this all happened. I remember the crush I used to have on you up until I met Marle---actually I had it awhile after I met Marle. That was maybe just a month ago, but it still feels like it's been such a long time." He sighed. 

Lucca almost jumped out of her skin in shock. "You WHAT?!" she exclaimed. "And you're just telling me this NOW?! Why didn't you just say something? I don't bite or anything, you know!"

"Lucca, I wanted to; I WANTED to! It's just that-it's just that-it's just that I felt I COULDN'T. You only seemed interested in being friends with me. You seemed more interested in inventing stuff than in boys. Although I'm guessing that's now the opposite..." He gave her a wicked grin.

"Well, this is nice!" Lucca threw up her hands in exasperation. "I had a crush on you, too! That is, until I met Magus---well, I guess even after I met him. For the longest time we wouldn't even admit anything to each other; both of us aren't exactly the two most extroverted people in the world, you know."

Crono laughed. "This is so ironic. Here we are---spilling out each other's feelings to each other---and now it's too late. But Lucca, tell me something, will ya? You aren't -um - angry about me and Marle, are you?"

Lucca laughed herself but clearly saw his point. "Oh, you sounded so funny when you said that, Crono! No, no...no, I don't think so. You really don't have to worry about that. I'm not doing this because of you. I'm -well- I'm doing it for myself."

He gave her a wry grin. "Somehow I feel comforted when you say that. But just remember: I've been your best friend ever since we were practically in diapers and I don't want that to change anytime soon. Our lives maybe have changed a little, but yet everything is still the same between us. I don't want Magus to be the only man in your life, Lucca!"

Lucca rolled her eyes. "Geez, Crono, that was corny."

"I know, I know."

"Now c'mon, let's watch the sunset. I mean, we used to when we were kids, didn't we?"

***

~Earlier that night~

Truce Canyon showed golden in the light of the sun's last rays; there was hardly a stir throughout the whole wood with the exception of the stream that gurgled happily at the gorge's bottom. A light midsummer breeze rustled through the ancient trees, promising another cool, airy night that was perfect for just gazing at the stars. In the distance a morning dove called out plaintively.

Of course, all this beauty was lost upon a scowling Magus, who had arrived via Gate about five minutes ago. He leaned against an old, gnarled tree in the clearing, arms crossed and his forehead creased in concentration. He needed time to think, all by himself. He just hadn't gotten enough of that lately, it seemed...

__

(Although I'm not complaining about THAT, am I? Even though for the past two weeks I have been an utter fool and so unlike myself, I'm still not complaining. I must really love her, don't I?)

He sighed and looked down at the ground. _(Love. I suppose that's what it is. Why ELSE would I be acting so strange? It's so frightening...it seems there's a part of me that I never even knew existed.)_

(Of course I'd never admit that to HER. My pride would be on the line then, after all...)

He stared around at the trees and the clearing, as if clearly remembering something that had happened long ago. His eyes finally fell on the Gate, that same accursed Gate that had been the cause of his life changing forever.

__

(Ahhh, I remember it so clearly. I was so frightened that day. The first thing I saw was Ozzie standing there. He was clearly planning on eating me, but then my quick reflexes came into play and I ended up setting him on fire. My first spell... And everyone in Zeal was so adamant that I was a burden to the royal family, that I was unable to use magic... Too bad I was never able to prove them wrong.)

(My life might have been saved that day, but everything seemed to turn into such a nightmare after that. All those people killed, Ozzie using me for his own gain... Back then I never wanted to kill anyone! I was just interested in getting home, to save my sister from Lavos, but then that whole Mystic War debacle started and of course I was caught up in the middle. Curse my magic! Curse it! I almost wish I had been killed by Ozzie that day; instead of saving history I'll end up going down as the wizard who ruined it! )

(I really have no idea why she's wasted her time with a person like me. If I were her I _wouldn't. But I suppose it doesn't even matter at this point anymore. We may not even exist twenty-four hours from now. And even if luck pulls us through and we DO survive, I have no idea what the future holds in store for me. But even I can tell that there's trouble brewing on the horizon...)_

"Aha! I KNEW I'd find you here!" A loud male voice suddenly called out to him from nearby, breaking the stillness of the cool evening AND his solitude, he might add.

Very startled (although he'd never admit it in a million years), Magus whirled around only to see that a very frazzled-looking Crono was standing by the Gate watching him. Now how had HE gotten there undetected? Only a second ago had he been staring at that Gate...

Magus shook off his bewilderment and managed to say in his usual snobbish, arrogant tone: "Now just what are YOU doing here? If you're here to have a thought-provoking, life-changing conversation with me, then go somewhere else!"

Crono's cheeks reddened slightly but he stood his ground. "Um, no, Magus. No thought-provoking, life-changing conversations for me. But I DO wanna talk to you about something." 

Magus tapped his foot impatiently. "Well, what is it? I'm listening!" Personally, he had no idea what the kid wanted, or what was that important that he actually had to hunt him down to talk about it...but he had to admit, this boy had guts. Even Ozzie had known better than to approach him while he was thinking or had gone off alone.

Crono scratched his head nervously but continued to come closer nonetheless. "Um, we-ell, I don't know how to start this, but -ah- oh hell, I'll just cut to the chase right now. What are you doing with Lucca?"

Magus inwardly groaned at this, but managed to counter swiftly, "And just what do you think I AM doing with Lucca?" 

"Um---a lot of things."

"Like?" 

"Um, like getting kicked out of restaurants for overt displays of affection."

Magus narrowed his eyes. "Listen, you spikey-haired nuisance, I have no idea how you know anything, but-"

Crono backed off. "Hey, don't get mad! You don't have to get all defensive! But just remember---I've known Lucca a lot longer than you have. I've been friends with her for ages. I feel like I have to watch out for her, you know?"

"And you're implying that I'm not capable of that?"

Crono gulped. Things were taking a most definite wrong direction... "No, no, I'm not saying that! Not at all! I'm just worried about her!"

"And what gives you cause to worry?"

He gulped again. "Well -ah- I dunno..." His sentence trailed off and he stood there uncertainly for a moment, but a few seconds later his courage seemed to have come back, as he suddenly burst out: "Oh, hell, I'll just tell you the truth! I am extremely worried about my best friend in the whole wide world because she is romantically involved with a guy who was responsible for almost wiping out the entire kingdom of Guardia back in 600 A.D.! There, that's why!"

Magus, who was a full six inches taller than Crono, looked down at him snootily with his long nose. "Hmpfh! Well, you don't have to worry about that, you little simpleton! Tell me something, does it LOOK like I want to go around murdering people at the moment?!"

"Well, you wanted the truth...uh, yes!" Crono was fully expecting a blast at this one. But, as he would prove later that night: once he started something, he wouldn't stop. Even if it meant bad things coming. Call it persistence, if you would.

Magus, however, didn't do anything but raise an eyebrow and reply bitingly, "Would you mind using your brains a tiny bit, as little as they may be? You are clearly not understanding my point. My point IS is that although I did do what you claimed, it's not entirely a reflection of my character at the same time."

"Huh?"

"Never mind!" he snapped. "It seems I can't explain, as my intelligence seems to drop just being near you! All I'm saying is that I have no diabolical scheme to tear Lucca away from you. I'm not planning on hurting her and I CERTAINLY am not using her!"

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine, then."

"Now are you about done? I was having a perfectly nice time until YOU showed up." Or as good a time as thinking about what he usually did could possibly be, he did not add. 

Now completely satisfied, Crono swiftly left the area, climbing back into the Gate and heading back to his own era. And he was indeed completely satisfied. Although the previous conversation with Magus could very well be classified as "disastrous", it had served its purpose well. For one thing, the conversation, as stated before, WAS disastrous, but that was only because Magus had gotten defensive. Magus getting defensive or indeed showing any emotion (with the exception of when he was insulting someone) was a landmark indeed. Something had to be up. And then there was the fact that what few words he had said about the whole thing all seemed to be in earnest. Yes, Crono was being insulted at the same time, that could not be forgotten, but it was rare when Magus lied. He was usually either brutally honest or just remained silent.

Yep, Magus had it bad for Lucca. And now to go find Lucca...

***

It was now well past midnight, but Lucca continued to work doggedly on the Epoch. Everyone had stayed around to keep her company at first upon their returns, but slowly but surely they all had dropped off to bed, or, to put it more specifically, dropped off to her living room. The work was now almost done; she was now in the process of changing the oil, and once that was done, she'd be heading up to bed herself to get what little sleep she could. She wouldn't exactly be an asset to the group if she pulled an all-nighter, now would she?

Her original plans were altered greatly, however, when she became suddenly aware of someone lightly placing their hands upon her shoulders and kissing the nape of her neck with warm lips. "Greasy, aren't we?"

Lucca was surprised that Magus had finally come back; her supposition had been that as he hadn't come back earlier that evening, his return probably wouldn't be well until after she had retired for the night. Oh well...hehe...changes could be good, couldn't they?

She turned around to face him, putting her hands on her hips. "Where were YOU, Mr. Wizard? Off scaring children?"

"Hmpfh!"

"Never mind! Actually, I don't want to know. All I can say is that you sure took your time in getting here!"

  
"Oh, are we in a hurry? For what?" he teased, a small smile forming on his thin lips.

She smirked at him. "I'm sure you already know."

"I suppose I do."

"Shut up already!"

"It's so amusing when you get angry," he said lightly, albeit sounding a little muffled, perhaps because of the way he was nibbling on her lower lip. 

Lucca was sick and tired of his baiting, and decided to take matters into her own hands. She tipped his head upwards and kissed him deeply, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him against her. This caused a crash of sorts, as the two then slammed against the hard metal outer shell of the Epoch. Lucca whimpered faintly; the wrench that had been grasped so tightly in her right hand clattered noisily to the ground, landing on top of the large toolbox sitting nearby. 

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him again, a little more urgently this time, allowing him to slide his tongue silently into her mouth. All she could do in reply was to let out a small, indistinct noise and to allow one of her small, grease-spattered hands to upset his hair. Magus then responded in turn by letting one of his hands run down the length of her body and beginning to unbutton the top of her outer jacket.

Lucca panted after they broke the last kiss, "Eager, aren't we?"

He grinned rather slyly, and, taking her hand, began to lead her up the small stepladder that she used to fix things at a height. Her eyes widened as he pressed the large green button and allowed the clear, dome-like cabin roof to slide apart.

"No. No way in hell," was all she managed to choke.

"Why not?" he asked her, crossing his arms and perhaps even looking a little miffed.

"For crying out loud, we'll be flying in that tomorrow!" she exclaimed, wagging her finger at him, the events of a moment ago forgotten. She ran her hands through her hair in a nervous fashion as she then remembered to add, "And besides, I'm all greasy and-"

She trailed off when she noticed the extremely nasty smile that was beginning to spread all over his face.

"Ugh! You're a weird one, you know that? Still, we're not doing this here! I'd prefer the house, if you don't mind!"

"Epoch."

"House."

"Epoch."

"House."

"Epoch."

"IN THE HOUSE!! _ NOW!!"_

He cringed as he rubbed his ears. "Well, considering that by now you have likely awoken half of the population for miles around, all right then, the house."

She gave him the thumbs-up. "There we go! And on our way up to my room, let's be careful not to wake up anyone sleeping, shall we?"

"You're not making me sleep on the floor again later, are you?"

"You are the biggest, most smartassed idiot I've ever met, you know that?" she said to him cheekily as they headed back to the house. 

Author's Note: Yayyyyyy!!! Two chapters left (or at least that's what I'm planning at the moment). Has anyone predicted what might happen yet? I hope it's not too obvious. 

Erm---ah---oh, yeah! And remember to review! Please? Pretty please? Otherwise I just might write some of that Sin and Lavos slash (and blatantly misspell it AND have no grammar and punctuation AND have a bad storyline). Hey, hey, just kidding! If I ever did that I officially give you permission to flame me. Really really!


	18. Empty Headed Princesses Always Get the L...

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own, never did. Guess I'll go off and sulk in a corner now. 

Author's Note: Hehe…I bet you're ready to lynch me by now! What's it been, over a week? Oh, and I apologize to you in advance for the crappy chapter. I suck royally at plot chapters, and this one would DEFINITELY be classified as plot. Noooo! Not the tar and feathers! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lucca winced painfully as a wave of dark plasmic energy totally engulfed her body. The pain was absolutely indescribable, almost as if dozens of knives were ruthlessly cutting through her flesh. Damn it all, why hadn't she just taken the two seconds to look over towards that other arm?! It sure would have saved her some pain…

The dark swirling cloud attacking her, its work now done, then dissipated as quickly as it had appeared; however, it didn't leave without a fight. With one last puff of energy, it raised Lucca up about six feet into the air and then slammed her to the rough, slimy ground. After being dazed for a few seconds, she stirred, moaning painfully, but with some effort she managed to crawl away and swallow a Full Tonic, which for the most part fully revitalized her. It just wasn't practical to ask Frog or Marle for a Cure spell, as they, along with Magus, were all fighting one of Lavos's arms over on the other end of the inner core.

Yes, you heard that right: they were now fighting Lavos. It hadn't been too hard to find him, after all; they just turned the time travel dial on the Epoch to 1999 A.D., witnessed when the spiky bastard had emerged from the Earth's crust, and then went to fight him. The battle maybe wasn't worse than what they had expected, but it sure was a lot different.

For one thing, there was more to Lavos than just the spiky outer shell, as they had just found out minutes ago. Everyone had thought that the stupid thing had died after Crono had severed that large orange eye, but then it appeared that the inside beyond the eye was hollow, that there seemed to be something else, that the REAL Lavos actually lived inside the outer creature. They hurried inside without any qualms, not stopping to think that if the outer shell was as strong as it had been, then the inside of the Lavos core might even be a hell of a lot more stronger. 

That had led to where they were now, which was fighting a strange creature that looked like a cross between a roach and a samurai. A roach/samurai that had two arms which constantly cast nasty spells, like the one that had just hit Lucca, it had to be added. The stupid thing would have even looked laughable under normal circumstances, but...let's put it this way: even ridiculous-looking things look very scary when they're trying to kill you. And my sweet Lord, was it doing a good job at that. Ayla had been down twice, Crono and Frog both once, and, as previously demonstrated, Lucca had almost been knocked out herself. After all, it was inevitable; being attacked from three sides while trying to attack something yourself is quite a hard task.

That was the problem, Lucca mused, as she dusted herself off and threw herself back into the fray. Magus, Frog, and Marle were working hard on the right arm, as she, Crono, Robo, and Ayla were working on the left. If only they could go a little faster and take out at least one of the arms before everyone lost too much of their energy...

Crono raised his katana, which was dripping with purplish blood, and motioned for Lucca to cast a spell on it to power it up. She willingly obliged, doing her best to cast a good Fire 2 on it, after which he then leaped at Lavos's arm, hewing at it with all his might. Their little improvisional technique, which they had unofficially dubbed the Fire Sword 2, seemed to have some effect, as more blood spurted from the arm and it even seemed to droop a little. Lucca wasted no time and made preparations to cast her most powerful spell, Flare, but then- but then...

It hit her again. Before Crono or ANYONE could do anything, that terrible Shadow attack hit her again. It normally wouldn't have been a spell that would have even stunned her, but already weakened from several other attacks as she was, the results were not good. She could feel the vitality literally seeping out of her; giving one last cry, she did a header onto the floor and went unconscious almost immediately. The last thing she thought at that moment happened to be, "Geez, what an undignified way to die..."

***

Marle hit the table angrily. "I can't believe this!! You mean she's still knocked out?!"

Crono, crossing the room to sit across the table from her, nodded silently. 

"But is she okay? I mean, she's breathing, right? So what could be wrong?"

"I told you, I turned around and I saw that big dark beam attacking her! I GUESS that's what knocked her out, along with some other hits she probably took. But even the doctor says she's okay. It'll just take her awhile to come around, that's all."

"But the Moonlight Parade's tonight! She'll totally miss it! And-and what about the others? She won't even be able to say goodbye to them!"

The two stared at each other, realization suddenly striking both of them like thunderbolts, but neither said a thing more about the subject, as each thought the other was totally in the dark. After an awkward, ten second silence: 

"We can only hope she wakes up soon," Crono said thoughtfully, drumming his fingers upon the table. "As I said, she's perfectly fine, but just a little weak from that shadow beam. And I'm not surprised, either: the main gist of Shadow attacks are to sap the energy out of their victims, aren't they?"

Both jumped a little as the door suddenly opened. They found that the intruder was Crono's mom, who came in balancing two grocery bags and a rather large sack of kitty litter. "Oh, it's you two," she said, setting her burdens down and bustling over to the fridge. "How about some lemonade?" Not bothering to allow them to answer her question, she reached inside for the pitcher and went over to the cupboard to get some glasses. "But where are your other friends? I saw them with you only a few hours ago!"

Crono waved her off. "Oh, they're scattered all around, Mom. They'll be back when it gets closer to night."

"And where's that other friend of yours, Lucca? Now I haven't seen her at ALL! Don't tell me the two of you had some petty fight! It's going to be too wonderful a night to be feeling angry at someone, young man!"

Crono fought the strange urge to laugh. "Oh, we're fine, Mom. She just hasn't been feeling well lately, that's all. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, dear! I didn't know! But of course, I haven't talked to Taban or Lara lately. They've only just come back from that trip down south, after all..." She trailed off, staring away absentmindedly as she handed the glasses of lemonade to both Crono and Marle. "But you know, I'd keep both hands on your wallets tonight at the parade if I were you, dears! And you keep an eye on your pretty lady friend tonight, Crono, you hear? Lots and lots of weirdos around town and out on the fairgrounds today. Why, I saw a young man wearing purple skins and a pair of slippers! And he had a bone in his hair! A BONE! The get-ups you see on young people these days..." She swept out of the room and up the stairs, continuing to grumble to herself about the state of the world. 

Crono and Marle both gulped as they stared at each other. "Oops," Marle groaned. "That must have been Kino."

Crono rolled his eyes. "Tell me again why you wanted them to stay a little longer?"

Marle exclaimed, "Well, I thought they'd all like to see the parade! It won't hurt anything, will it?"  


"No...it's just that we've gotta keep an eye on things at the fairgrounds. Yesterday we all saw what was starting to happen, and screwing up history is really the last thing we want to do..." He trailed off, staring out the kitchen window thoughtfully.

He probably would have stared outside for close to an hour, but suddenly a bird hit the window rather violently and he came back to reality. "But honestly, Marle---" he added, smiling at her quite shyly. "Thanks for everything. Thanks for risking your neck to get everyone. I'd probably have my head chopped off right now if it wasn't for you rounding up Doan and all those people."

"Heh-heh, I didn't do it for you, you dork, I did it for myself!" She grinned at him flirtatiously. 

He smirked. "I bet you did, Princess..." Suddenly, though, as if remembering something, he got up and downed the last of his lemonade. "Oh crap, that's right! Just make yourself at home here, I'll be right back! I'm just going to go check again. We're better off being safe than sorry, anyway..." He gave Marle a small peck on the lips and headed out again.

***

A small groan escaped from Lucca's dry, cracked lips as she hovered between sleep and consciousness. When it all came down to it she was reluctant to leave her lethargic state; there was the nice dream she was having, for one thing---she was out in a grassy meadow with her friends; all were just laughing and talking and joking around. Even Magus was there, looking as happy as the rest. ...Well, _everything_ is possible when it comes to dreams, isn't it? 

However, just when the wonderful dream was stating to take a strange but even more happy turn (Magus was starting to get rather amorous), it was then that her brain told the rest of her body to get the hell up. Her eyelids fluttered open and she groaned again as she struggled to bring the room into better focus. 

Ugh, she felt terrible. Damn mornings and everything connected with them! All of her limbs felt like dead weights, her hair seemed to have more grease than a ten year old deep fryer, and worst of all, she had a headache that probably was capable of blowing the top off Mt. Kilamanjaro. Trying to ignore her less-than-great-feeling state, she stared around at her surroundings, attempting to piece together just what had happened and where she was at the moment.

__

(Hmmm, now THIS is a sight I'd never thought I'd see again.) She seemed to be in her room and it was during the day; a small sliver of sunlight poked its way through the room's venetian blinds and onto her brightly colored afghan. But who was that figure sitting on her chair across the room? She couldn't tell; everything looked so fuzzy...

"Wh-what happened?" she managed to choke out, feeling confused above all else.

The person looked up, perhaps a little startled at her sudden awakening, and replied in an excited but very familiar voice, "My God, Lucca! We never thought you'd wake up! It's been two days!" 

Well, that ruled out Magus.... 

The mystery person quickly jumped out of the chair and went up to her, grabbing her glasses from the nearby shelf and hastily putting them on her. Lucca blinked dazedly as Crono's visage slowly swam into view. Standing over her bedside and peering down at her worriedly, he looked like he just might barf of happiness at the same time. 

"Crono...it's you! And...we're alive?? But- but what went on out there?"

Crono cleared his throat. "Well, Lavos is dead. The rest of us managed to kill him. But you were knocked out pretty badly by that shadow beam. We were so worried! Not even Revives or Life spells could get you up! The most we could do was put you down out of the way and grab ahold of you when we escaped. And now -well- it's been two days since then. You've been out ever since."

Lucca felt a little disconcerted. "Two days?! That long?! But where's everyone else? Where's-"

"Oh, Magus, you mean? He practically hasn't left your side since we got back. Well, not until I told him to get his ass downstairs and get some sleep, anyway..."

"DOWNSTAIRS?! My parents aren't back, are they?! Because if they are-"

"Relax, Lucca, relax. He's crashed out on the sofa and your parents know all about it. I had to tell them everything, you see. I couldn't lie about what happened to you, so-"

"But-but-"

"It's O.K.! It's really O.K.! They know all about Lavos; I showed them proof of it! But I DIDN'T tell them that Magus was from another era, much less that he's the guy that almost destroyed Guardia back in 600. I'll leave that up to you."

"Thank God...They'd just freak if they knew that..."

"Well, anyway," Crono went on, scratching the back of his head absentmindedly, "everyone's alive and well and they're all here in Truce right now. And you woke up just in time, too! The last night of the Millennial Fair is tonight, and there's gonna be a Moonlight Parade in the royal family's honor. Everyone from miles around is going to be there, and-"

Lucca, however, was still a little worried about what had happened. "So Lavos is really dead? Has history changed at all?"

"Well, the Black Omen's out of the sky. Disappeared without a trace... And then what parts of 1999 A.D. we could see before we had to escape seem to be undamaged... Yeah, I think history's changed quite a bit, but for the better."

Lucca smiled. "Well, let's see if I can get up. I'm not too keen on missing that parade tonight, after all!"

Crono quickly helped her out of bed and then left her, explaining to her that everyone else was anxious to know of her condition and that he'd better fill them in on the news. Lucca happily waved him goodbye, promising that she and Magus would meet them all at his house later so they could all go to the parade together. 

Words could not describe how happy Lucca was at the moment. They had finally defeated Lavos, everyone was safe and well despite the whole ordeal, and now there was going to be a celebration at the Square tonight. She could really rest easy now...

She would not have been so happy had she caught the still-worried expression on Crono's face as he left. 

***

"You know, you shouldn't exactly be up and about, four-eyes."

Lucca craned her neck to the side and stared at Magus, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking even grumpier than usual. Now how had he gotten there all of a sudden? Crono had said he was asleep...  


Finishing with the coffee she had been pouring for herself (being asleep for two days definitely made one groggy), she put her hands on her hips and turned to face Sir Pissed-Off-A-Lot. "Oh, and what kind of a greeting is that, moron? No 'hello, Lucca, I was so worried about you'? No 'oh, Lucca, I love you so much, I never want to you leave me ever again'? No, instead of a _normal _greeting all I happen to get is 'you know, you shouldn't exactly be up and about, four-eyes'. Oh, I feel sooooo loved."

Magus's scowl deepened, as she sat at the table with her coffee cup, continuing on, "So I suppose defeating Lavos hasn't exactly made you happier, has it? You still have that weird look on your face; you know, like you're constipated or something." 

He still continued to glare at her.

"Well, don't just stand there, you grump! Pull up a chair and have some coffee or something! The very happiness saps right out of me from just looking at you!" 

Reluctantly, he left his spot in the doorway and sat at the table across from her. But he didn't seem to be too keen on talking. In fact, he sat in complete silence.

Lucca stared across the table worriedly. What was wrong with him? Magus wasn't exactly the most talkative person in the world, but...this was just weird. He might with the others, but he NEVER just sat in complete silence, not wanting to talk, whenever he was with just HER. So what had happened? 

She decided that getting to the bottom of it was the best route to go. "Would you just cut the crap already?!" she exclaimed at him. "What's wrong with you?! You really DO look constipated, the way YOU'RE acting!" 

Magus looked up. She half expected him to be angry at her little outburst, but instead there was, well...nothing. In fact, it might even be safe to say that he looked a little...worried. Whoa. Now THIS was scary. Magus...worried? She never thought she'd be putting those two words in the same sentence!

Finally he spoke. "It ends tonight. Tonight I must go back to my own time---and you obviously must stay in yours. It doesn't look like we'll be seeing each other again..." 

Lucca stared at him in disbelief for a second...and then suddenly started to laugh hysterically. "You idiot!" she exclaimed. "I think you're forgetting something! Hello---it's called the Epoch?! Time won't be able to stop us! We'll be able to see each other whenever we want!"

He rolled his eyes. "Didn't that spiky-haired fool tell you ANYTHING when you woke up?! The Epoch is nothing but a scrap heap at the moment---Lavos destroyed it when we first landed. It was sheer dumb luck that we managed to find a Gate nearby and get to the End of Time using that...and now it looks like the Gates themselves are beginning to wear out."

Lucca laughed again. "Don't be silly! Gates don't just disappear! As long as we have the Gate Key we'll be able to control them whenever we want!"

"Aren't you forgetting something, poindexter? The Gates are somehow connected with Lavos, aren't they? Well, that means if Lavos disappears, then so will the Gates. And the one by the fairgrounds is already beginning to weaken. Now how's that for your faulty reasoning?!"

Lucca's mouth dropped open. Of course---it all made perfect sense. Lavos was most likely the one responsible for all the time distortions, and once he was gone, the Gates themselves would likely cease to exist. But why did it have to be so unfair?! It looked like Magus indeed was right. With the Epoch gone and the Gates starting to disappear as well, it looked like the two's budding young relationship was about to be snuffed out.

"Are- are you positive about this?" she managed to choke out at him.

"Absolutely."

Lucca suddenly became aware that she was fighting back tears. "Why- why don't you just stay in this time?" she desperately tried to reason with him. "I mean, after all, you don't really officially BELONG to any one time period, do you?"

"On the contrary," he replied coldly, "I rather much BELONG to 12,000 B.C., if only for my sister's sake. I am almost positive that she is not dead, and although things are looking futile at the moment, I feel it my duty to search for her. I owe her that much, at least."

Lucca sputtered angrily. "You- you are so IMPOSSIBLE! And you have the gall to say that MY reasoning is faulty?! You'd rather go off and try to find your sister, who is currently impossibly lost and _very_ possibly not even alive?! How's THAT for faulty reasoning?! Why don't you just admit it? You're sick of me and you want a way out!"

"As dubious as it may sound to you, I WOULD stay with you if I had the choice! But I don't. This is something I _have _to do, whether I want to or not!"

"Have to, my ass! Your own stupid pride is on the line, and that's REALLY the only thing that's keeping you!" She stood up, white with fury and hands clenched at her sides, feeling hurt and confused beyond words. "Well, if your pride is SOOOO damn important to you, then why don't _I _be the one to tag along?! I'll go with YOU to 12,000 B.C. and that's how it'll be. How about it?" She knew that if this came to pass she would be making a huge sacrifice on her part, but…Let's face it, if they were separated now, she would be completely miserable. And that was something that had to be avoided at all costs. If she was the one that had to keep them together, then she would do it. 

However, her reasoning never got to be proved, as Magus chuckled humorlessly and cut back, "As intelligent as you are, four-eyes, you do not even realize what you're saying. You are saying that you will sacrifice your comfortable home surrounded by good friends for cold, starvation, unfamiliarity, and ME, no less. I would be a moron to allow it! As much as you have done lately, you're still quite young and VERY sheltered. No, you're staying HERE, at HOME, where you belong, whether you like it or not!" 

"You talk as if I'm a child!"

"You ARE!! And that's all the more reason I cannot allow you!!"

"Let me ask you this: do you even care about me at ALL?! Because the more we talk, the more it seems you don't!"

"You _really _don't understand my point, do you?" he said coolly, trying very hard to pretend that he was unaffected by her words. "My point _is _is that I do this only because I care. 12,000 B.C. isn't exactly the easiest place to live, and I should certainly know; I grew up there! Life there is hard and miserable; in reality you will ultimately end up regretting it. Just listen for once!"

Even the words "I care" were not enough to placate Lucca's rage. "Bastard! Why don't you just tell the truth; that you've had your fun and now you're sick of me?! Just admit it, why don't you?! You never cared for me at all; I can see that plainly now!"

"No, you don't-"

"Oh, just shut up! I'm sick of you trying to make excuses! They're not gonna cover up what you did, and- oh hell, I'm sick of talking! I- I HATE YOU!!" Slapping his face even harder than the last time, she turned away and ran off towards the door, sobbing uncontrollably. 

***

"Um…Lucca?"

Lucca tried to ignore the persistent voice that had been trying to get her attention for the past three minutes. Pretending to be enticed by an especially large explosion of violet colored fireworks, she shifted slightly on her perch, which was on the lip of the elaborate fountain in the square. She honestly didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, not even Crono…

"Lucca?"

She didn't care. She was determined to ignore him. Besides, facing him would mean that he would see the silent tears still running down her flushed cheeks. No, she would NOT let anyone know that she had been deeply affected by the whole matter! No, that would mean Magus had won, and she certainly was not going to allow THAT to happen. 

"LUCCA!!"

So he was going to play hardball, was he? Damn him anyway! It had always been that way; he had never been able to take a hint! Why couldn't he just leave her in peace, like most normal people would?! 

"LUCCA! Dammit, I know you can hear me! Stop pretending!" Lucca's heart sank when she felt Crono's hand grab her shoulder and wrench her around his way. _(Shit! Of all the best friends there are in the world, why do I have to have the most persistent one?!)_

Crono stared at her worriedly for a second but then said very gently, "Listen, it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. Sometimes it happens; things don't always work out perfectly and you get stuck."

Lucca started up another wave of crying. "But he didn't even care about me! Not one bit! He was probably just using me the entire time, and I was stupid enough to-"

"You don't know that, Lucca…"

"Oh, but I do! Why else would he cast me off like that?"

"Listen, this isn't the end of the world. There'll be others-"

"Oh, THAT'S a real comfort!"

"Lucca, it's going to be fine. Just trust me on this one. I know it hurts right now, but-- eventually the pain will leave. It's not gonna stay permanently. Now I think it's high time you say goodbye to your friends. The Gate's not gonna hold much longer, and if we don't go now, you'll probably never see them again."

"But I don't WANT to! He'll be there!"

"Lucca, I know you're brave. You always have been, and that's not going to change anytime soon. Just hold your head up high and ignore him. Now come on already! Three days later you'll end up wishing that you said goodbye to Frog and the others!"

Lucca wiped her face gingerly. "Oh, all right, all right. I guess you've got a good point."

He gently steered her across the Square, over towards the back clearing where her father's Telepod was set up, the place where all of this nasty business had started. As they walked over she stared miserably at her surroundings. At the throngs of happy, well-fed people. At the beautiful display of fireworks and colored lights that danced and flashed as far as the eye could see. At the many attractions and stands and booths that were set up throughout the premises. 

Damn, she hated it all.

***

They turned a corner and suddenly the rest of the group came into view. Making sure to pick a path that was nowhere near Magus, who was standing and scowling over to the left, looking like he was damn well ready to just jump inside the Gate the minute someone held up the Key, Crono continued to steer Lucca closer to everyone. Finally they stopped at the immediate righthand side of the Gate, near the controls of the Telepod. Marle, who smiled at Lucca as they passed, also stood nearby. Lucca could only glower back. Damn that princess. _She_ never had to worry about _anything._

The Gate was starting to glow a faint pale blue color and it was also starting to waver and distort, so it was decided that they had better say goodbye quickly, as the thing might disappear altogether any minute now. Crono grabbed the Gate Key and started to open the Gate for those that had other time periods to go back to. Ayla was first, and then Robo. Frog was the third to go; his goodbye had been an especially tearful one; both Lucca and Marle had always had an especial soft spot for the poor guy (or at least they did after they got over their fear of him). Finally it was Magus's turn. 

He never looked at anyone; he just looked straight ahead and walked briskly towards the Gate. Lucca could feel herself tense as he came closer. Damn him, he didn't even seem affected! He had gone away feeling nothing while _her _heart, on the other hand, had been shattered into pieces. 

Everything seemed to go in slow-motion. As Magus continued to get closer and closer to the Gate… As Crono slowly held up the Key and opened up the portal… As the portal itself suddenly began to waver even more unstably, looking as if it was going to dissipate any moment now… One of Magus's feet was bathed in the blue light…

Suddenly, though, something unexpected happened. It only took a second, but that split second changed Lucca's life forever. Suddenly Marle flashed a grin at her and unceremoniously pushed her into the Gate right behind Magus, who had actually disappeared only a moment before. 

Lucca closed her eyes as she felt the familiar sensation of traveling between epochs. Dammit, how would she get herself out of this predicament NOW?! And what would Magus say? It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he wouldn't be happy about this. 

After emerging from the Gate, which immediately disappeared behind her and took away any hope of going back to the fairgrounds, she dusted herself off and looked around nervously. Magus, who was a few feet away from her and looking for the Gate to 12,000 B.C., turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

Author's Note: Hehe! Until next time! Right now I'm writing up the epilogue, and it's gonna be pretty long, so I have no idea when I'm posting it. Here's a little hint, by the way: I'm gonna have more fun writing it than all of the other chapters combined. It's THAT weird! Hehe! 

And yes, I know that the ending that I wrote isn't quite in sync with the game. But hey, I said before that it's slightly AU, right? Plus I haven't played Chrono Trigger for awhile and I can't quite remember the main ending. 

It also has been brought to my attention that some people seem to want a sequel. I have been playing with the idea for a little 2 or 3 chapter vignette myself and am wondering if there are any others who would like one as well. I know some people might not because sometimes sequels aren't as good as the original piece, but… Well anyway, just let me know. I really can't guarantee it because I don't have a main plot yet and it also won't be out right away (let's just say I'm working on a little piece with Seph and Vinny and a bungalow), but if some people want it, then I guess I can attempt it.

Thanks for all the reviews! They really have been wonderful lately! 


	19. Epilogue

Disclaimer: _(Man, I've done nineteen of these now.) _No, I do NOT own Chrono Trigger, or its plot, or its characters, or etc. etc. But I'm sure you know that already.

Author's Note: Nope, you don't need to break out the hounds and pitchforks, because yes indeedy, HERE is the epilogue. And it has about 7000 words, too. That explains why it took me two weeks.

I apologize in advance if it isn't quite what you're expecting. At first I thought it would be EASY to pull off what I was intending to do, but as time went on I learned that I was very, very wrong. This epilogue was probably harder to write than any other chapter COMBINED. And it will definitely show. Oh, yes it will.

Here it is: 

~Two years, three months, and eleven days later~

Framed by a brilliantly blue October sky, the bright morning sun showered its warmth and radiance down upon the snow-covered earth below. The air was delightfully cool, crisp, and clean; very sharp to the touch but giving off that wonderfully fresh scent of evergreen and pine. Even the nearby ocean was calm today; well, going by what parts were uncovered by the normally foot deep ice, that is…

Winter had officially begun. The new coat of fresh, powdery snow blanketing the ground had seen to that. The Ice Age might be beginning to relent a little bit in 12,000 B.C., but it was still going to be many years until the climate became a little more temperate and less harsh. Perhaps Zeal, when it had still been afloat, had contributed to the terrible weather on the ground; after all, the Sun Stone's main purpose had been to utilize energy from the land around into one concentrated spot. And for as something as big as Zeal had been…

The Last Village was still as drab and dreary as ever, its shapeless brown structures sticking out of the ground like jagged teeth. Not too many improvements had been made since the settlement was formed; after all, it was hard to make progress when you only had about 200 inhabitants that were pretty much working 24/7 just to hunt, gather, and grow enough food to survive. At the moment everyone was just starting to wake up; doors opened and slammed, dogs barked, and hunting parties were beginning to head out for the day. 

We now head to the outskirts of the village, to a small little cabin where our very own 19-year-old Lucca Ashtear (or rather perhaps she should now be called Lucca Zeal, but she didn't enjoy being addressed that way) was just waking up from her deep nightly snooze. She was currently now glaring over at her husband, who was at the moment snoring loudly enough to wake the dead. 

She poked him, in an attempt to wake him up and get him to stop. It didn't work.

So she hit him with her pillow. No response.

She hit him again. 

And again.

And again.

Finally she just gave up. Damn him! What had he done to make him sleep so soundly, anyway?

Oh, yeah, uh…never mind…

Damn, two years of marriage and she _still _couldn't stop blushing at the thought of -well- that. And yes, they had entered the sacred union of holy matrimony; Magus had actually turned out to be quite fussy and had insisted on it from practically the minute she had stepped out of that Gate. But not before he had chewed her out voraciously, it had to be added. Even now he still did not believe the whole story about Marle suddenly pushing her in, but she decided to just shrug the whole thing off, as there was no way to prove it anyway. 

They had a fairly decent life, here in 12,000 B.C., although they had to work hard for anything they got. Growing food was especially challenging, as there was only a short, frosty growing season in the summer and anything they did yield had to last them for the rest of the year. When it was not summer they usually were forced to spend a lot of time either hunting or gathering firewood, neither really being a pleasant chore. Perhaps it was easier for the two of them than anyone else around, as both were able to use magic and frequently took advantage of it, but still…

"OOOWWWWW!!!! GODDAMMIT!!!!!" Lucca yelped loudly as she suddenly felt a pair of tiny claws attack her foot, which was sticking lazily outside of the heavy fur coverlets. She sat up and glared at Alfador, who purred loudly as he unabashedly used her leg as a scratching post. Damn that cat! It was almost as if the animal had a personal vendetta against her! 

"Whaaaaaaa---" All of this commotion had miraculously woke Magus up. Discarding the pillow that Lucca had used in her attempt to make him regain consciousness, he sat and blinked stupidly at her. 

"Get your stupid animal AWAY from me! NOW!" Lucca screeched.

"Stupid animal?! Now I'll have you know that Alfador is a highly intelligent-"

"Oh, just stop it already!" Lucca glared at him, perhaps wincing a little bit as Alfador continued to have fun with her leg. 

He grinned slyly. "That's not what you were saying last night…"

"That's beside the point! Now get your stupid cat away before I KICK him off!"

"Fine, fine! There, he's gone!" 

Lucca crossed her arms and muttered obscurely to herself, (but not too obscurely, as she wanted Magus to hear every word) "I live in the middle of nowhere with only a destruction-loving warlock who seems to have a cat fetish to keep me company. What a fine life _I _have!"

"I heard that!"

"Of course you did!"

"Well, I warned you, four-eyes! I told you not to follow me!"

"I believe I've TOLD you a thousand times now: Marle pushed me in!"

"And you expect me to believe a story like THAT?! Tut tut, poindexter, I would have thought someone like YOU would be smart enough to think of something better!"

"Has it ever occurred to you that since I have never changed my story and that I'm an honest person to begin with, that maybe, just maybe, it might be true?!"

"And has it ever occurred to YOU that maybe, just maybe, you're terrible at making up stories?"

"ARGH, YOU'RE MEAN!! I HATE YOU!" Lucca grabbed her pillow and smacked him with it. Magus, caught a little off guard, just sat and glared at her haughtily, rubbing his head. 

"You're a strange one…"

"What's THAT supposed to mean, buddy?!"

"Just what I said. One moment you're acting normal and the next you're hitting me with a damn pillow!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Your Highness," Lucca said sarcastically. "I guess I'll have to tell you everything I do in advance!"

As if you couldn't tell already, their relationship had not changed at all during the course of two years. Simply put, arguing was a staple of their relationship and neither one seemed to be able to live without it. Underneath her argumentative exterior, however, Lucca cared for Magus greatly; she wouldn't be exaggerating if she even said she loved him. She knew that Magus felt the same way as well, but even more so that he would never admit it. He was just not that type of emotional, touchy-feely person…

Magus stared outside the window at the steadily rising sun. "Well, I suppose I'd better get up and go hunt something. I'm almost certain there's a blizzard coming…"

Lucca scoffed. "Then it's probably almost certain that there WON'T be a blizzard! Come on, how can an idiot like YOU predict the weather?!"

"Hmpfh!"

"But I suppose it wouldn't be TOO bad if there was a blizzard." At this Lucca paused and grinned lecherously. "We'd have a lot of time alone, after all…"

Magus grinned back. "Oh, yes…"

And does it have to be mentioned that Magus was totally wonderful in that department, too? Especially when they were stuck inside the cabin during an extremely long, three day blizzard… 

Lucca groaned. "What time is it, anyway? I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

"After that FEAST you had last night?!"

"Oh come on, I only had two bowls of stew and maybe four pieces of bread! You make it sound like it was a smorgasbord or something!"

"Well, still-"

"Oh, can it already! I'm hungry!" Lucca snapped, getting out of bed, wrapping her woolen robe around her thin, lithe form and stomping out to the main room. Magus raised one eyebrow at her strange unpredictability but said nothing.

***

"Where are the peaches?" Lucca asked him impatiently as she turned the whole pantry upside-down. "You know, the ones we grew last summer but you didn't like?"

"I have no idea," Magus replied slowly, his eyebrow raising again as she threw out an apple that slowly rolled away to land at his feet.

"Dammit, DAMMIT, as if YOU are any help! Should have known better…" She then went off into a spiel of incoherent mumbling, the only part of the speech understandable to Magus being something about an "idiot wizard". 

"Well, don't just STAND there!" she suddenly barked. "Help me out here!"

As usual, Magus was not fazed. "Why don't you settle for something else, my 'dear'? You don't need peaches THAT badly, do you?"

"But dammit, I'm hungry for 'em! I don't know how, or why, I mean, they WERE rock-hard, but still-"

Finally Magus reluctantly bent down and assisted her in her search and eventually managed to come up with two of the cursed things, both of them being the toughest and most inedible of the entire crop. He also watched in amusement as she eagerly sliced them with a butcher knife, put them on about five pieces of bread, and proceeded to eat all of them.

Amusement quickly turned to disgust.

"Four-eyes, that- that's DISGUSTING."

Lucca fixed her eyes on him just as the second piece was halfway to her parted lips, the bread dripping soggily as the juice from the peaches began to soak through it. "Huh?"

"Ugh! Peaches and BREAD?! You never cease to amaze me!"

"Hey!" was the indignant reply.

"Never mind, I SUPPOSE I actually should be grateful. At least you aren't eating THAT again."

"THAT?!"

"I don't know what it was, but it was repulsive!"

"Oh, shut up! That was only twice!"

"Twice was two times too many for me! I must have retched until nightfall!"

"You retching? Yeah, sure," Lucca remarked as she devoured the third piece of bread.

Magus shook his head. "As I said, you ARE a strange one…But I really must be heading out if I want to be back by dusk. Are you coming along?" Lucca often went with him when he hunted, even though, much to his chagrin, she frequently made more kills than he did. 

There was a short pause. "Uh…no. I think I'll stay home this time. We're really running low on Ethers."

"Hmpfh! What's the REAL reason?! I could just as well go and pick up five Ethers on my way back!"

Lucca blushed. "All right, all right! It's just that just now I'm -well- I'm suddenly feeling a bit -um- queasy. Do you honestly want me to barf on you when you're trying to set fire to something?" She let out an unexpected burp, groaning and placing a hand on her stomach from the sudden onslaught. 

"I TOLD you not to eat that, didn't I?!" he said wickedly, a smile forming on his thin lips. "What goes around comes around, poindexter."

She glared over at him. "If I wasn't doubled over in pain right now I'd slug you into next Monday."

"But then again, maybe I wouldn't anyway," she added reflectively. "Because if I did that you'd probably make sure that I wouldn't be able to be real *nice* to you later tonight." Her gag reflex then started to take over again.

He gave her another wicked grin as he fastened his cloak. "What, no 'dammit, you bastard, not two nights in a row' again? Why, I'm pleasantly surprised at your adaptability. And even more surprised at the fact that you want to, despite the fact that you seem to have a fierce personal vendetta against me of late. What with YOUR seemingly endless mood swings-"

Despite the fact that she felt like she was going to toss out her insides any second, Lucca grabbed one of the pieces of bread and waved it at him threateningly. "One more word and this goes in your face!"

He turned her way as he proceeded to go out the door. "And I love you too! Enjoy your pastry!" With a flourish he stepped outside into the cold air, the door banging shut behind him.

Lucca added loudly so that she was sure he could hear: "AND DON'T YOU DARE DARK MATTER ANYTHING LIKE LAST TIME! LAST TIME I COULDN'T EVEN TELL WHAT THAT DEER WAS, MUCH LESS EAT IT!"

She then slumped down onto the table, putting her head in her hands, willing for her sudden sickness to abate. Damn him, he had been right! Peaches and bread were NOT a good combination. That had been clear enough, considering the fact that it took around two seconds for her to become green around the gills from the time she ate it. She stared accusingly at the two slices of now-wicked soggy, fruit-laden bread, cursing the day she had ever desired such a combination. 

She was almost to the point of tossing her cookies. The rush of disgustingly warm bile steadily rose up her throat, but with a wet burp she managed to keep her food items down where they belonged. Barfing was obviously not a fun activity.

After about ten minutes, however, her sudden sickness went away as quickly as it came. Standing up as she massaged her now sore stomach, Lucca decided that it would be best if she went off to the store to buy the Ethers NOW, as a brisk walk was probably the best medicine for her strange, peach-induced malady. That and the fact that she wasn't quite ready to tackle the dishes yet.

***

"TWO THOUSAND GOLD _EACH_?! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE INSANE!!" Lucca screeched at the poor, fur-hatted shopkeeper, who was now ruing the day that this crazy woman had ever entered his store. 

He tried to reason with her. "Listen, lady, the ingredients for Ether are hard to find and even harder to combine. Some of this covers the labor fee!"

"1800 or I'll never EVER shop here again!" Lucca crossed her arms defiantly and waited for his answer.

"All right, all right, I see you're upset! …How about a bargain price? 1900!"

"1825!"

"1875!"

"1830!"

"1850!" There was now a certain desperateness in his voice.

"Done!"

Lucca grinned like a Chesire cat as he handed her the bagful of Ethers. When it came to arguments, she was queen. Magus had given her plenty of practice, after all. Even though they were fairly well off (due to all of the monsters Magus had creamed during their travels), it just didn't make sense to be robbed blind by a bunch of dimwitted idiots that thought they could make an extra G by complaining about the "labor fee".

She was just turning around to leave and revel in her quick-witted persistence when suddenly she bumped into something that had been running up to her.

It was bubbly.

It was blonde.

It was Marle.

***

Even when after the initial shock had worn off, all Lucca could do was just stand and stare open-mouthed at Marle. Because it WAS Marle. For that person standing in front of her to NOT be Marle, all logic would have to be defied. She looked the same as ever, her long blonde hair pulled up into an enormous pony and wearing a long black skirt that did not correspond well with her chesty, tight-fitting top. Sparkly white snowflake earrings dangled from her ears. 

She was the first to speak. "Ooooo, Lucca! It really IS you! You look the same as ever!"

"Uh- uh- you too, Marle," Lucca choked out, almost ready to drop her sack of hard-earned Ethers.

They continued to stare at each other starry-eyed for a few seconds.

"Well, Lucca! Aren't you going to say anything?! After all, it HAS been over two years!" Marle finally exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. 

Lucca finally found that she had regained her voice. "You wouldn't BELIEVE how much I want to strangle you right now, Marle," she said flatly.

"Heeheehee! You're so funny! I miss all of that sarcasm of yours, Lucca! But you know," she added furtively, bringing her face close to Lucca ear. "you know what I'D do if I was stuck in a cabin in the middle of the winter with a handsome, well-endowed warlock!"

"Great. I think I'll just tell him that, Marle."

"Oh, God, please no! He'll zap me or something. You know how pissed off he gets sometimes. But anyway-"

"Hey! Just how did you get here, anyway?! Not that we've ever exactly crossed over two hundred miles of ice to look or anything, but I'm pretty damn sure the Gate's still closed!"

"Oh, we'll tell you later. It's kind of -howdya put it- complicated??" Apparently Marle hadn't gotten to four syllable words yet.

"WE'LL?! Marle, just who-"

She was cut off when, again a most shocking moment, Crono suddenly entered the shop and began speaking to Marle.

"Any leads yet, girl? Because the rest of us just can't- HOLY SHIT!! You found her!"

Crono looked pretty much the same, except for the fact that he now wore a small metal emblem of the Guardia crest on a chain around his neck. He happily pulled a twice-shocked Lucca into a huge bear hug that practically cut off her circulation as he exclaimed, "It really IS you! We were so worried about you back two years ago, but when I remembered Magus probably would-"

"Crono, as much as I enjoy seeing you for the first time in several years, I'll end up needing the chiropractor by the time you're through," Lucca gasped breathlessly.

"Oh, right! …Uh, sorry!"

***

Five minutes later, Lucca, in amazement, found herself in the town square surrounded by all the friends she had journeyed with two years prior (well, obviously everyone except for Magus, who was probably off setting things on fire by now). Everyone. Yup, there was Robo, looking clean and strangely devoid of rust. Yup, there was Ayla, eating something unidentifiable off the snowy ground. Yup, there was even-

"Hey?! Where's Frog!" Lucca exclaimed, a little upset. "Don't tell me Ozzie or somebody-"

"But I am right here, Lady Lucca," a familiar voice called out. A figure stepped out from behind Robo's clunky form, only to reveal someone who didn't look like Frog at all. The young man, who was perhaps about twenty-seven or so, was well-muscled, handsome, and of medium build. His bright green hair, spiky and shooting straight up, matched his eyes, which were proud but very fierce.

Lucca made a small, indistinguishable noise. "It- it IS you, isn't it, Frog- er, um- Glenn?"

He gave off a charming smile, showing off his white, quite even teeth. "Indeed."

"But- but how did you get changed back?"

"I have no memory of it, my dear. The only thing I can say for certain is that one morning, about a half a year ago, I woke up being a frog no longer."

Crono chuckled. "He's still quite shy with the ladies, though. That poor barmaid back in Truce had no idea what he was saying when all he wanted was a cup of ale!"

Glenn gave him an angry glare.

Lucca was suddenly aware that she was freezing her ass off. "Why don't we all head back to my house? I'm sure it's much better than standing out here!"

Crono rubbed his arms to try and get the feeling back in them. "That's a great idea. We've had quite a walk since dawn. Is Magus there?"

"Uh, no. He's out hunting."

"Has he gone very far? Maybe we should go get him so he doesn't miss out."

Lucca was quite sure that Magus by all means would probably _want _to "miss out", but she only replied with, "You might as well. He left not too long ago, so I'm sure you'll be able to catch up with him. He went that way." She pointed out the large, heavily forested area around the Commons, which was densely populated with game and prey. 

"Well, in that case, I think we'd better head out. I'm sure you don't want to come along, so…"

"I'll stay with Lucca!" Marle piped up.

Lucca rolled her eyes. It looked to be one long reunion…

***

"Here, have a chair," Lucca said, rushing ahead of Marle to pull one out from the table. They were now back inside the warm, toasty cabin, beginning the wait for the others' return. 

Marle sat down, looking all around. "Oooo! It's so cozy in here! Everything smells just like woodsmoke!"

"Uh, Marle…that's probably because it IS wood smoke."

"Heehee! I'm so stupid!"

__

(That's for sure.)

"So how are you and Crono?" Lucca asked, going over the fire to start up a kettle of tea. 

"Oh, we've been engaged for about a year now! Daddy's still a little worried about him becoming next in line to be King and all but I told him not to think about it. He won't let us get married for another three years, though, till I'm 22, can you believe THAT?! Says we're too young!"

"I don't blame him," Lucca said dryly, filling the kettle with water. 

"Whaddaya mean?" Marle asked, grinning wickedly. "Is this because you and Magus are having trouble or something?"

Lucca turned around and gave her a flesh-eating glare. "No, our marriage is perfectly normal, thank you very much. Well, not normal in the normal sense, I guess, because we bicker constantly, but still-"

"Hehe, arguing can be good, you know, Lucca-"

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Lucca snapped.

Marle, of course, did not take the painfully obvious hint. "So, ah, Lucca…how is he?"

"No, Marle. I am NOT telling you about THAT. That is strictly between ME and HIM."

"Oh, come on! Don't be embarrassed!"

"No, Marle!"

"Puh-lease?"

"NO, MARLE!"

"With a cherry on top?"

"NO!!"

"Drop a hint and I'll shut up!"

"Oh, all right, ALL RIGHT!! He is GOOD. VERY GOOD. Now will you shut up or change the subject?!"

Marle just smirked. "Good in what way??"

Lucca wanted to bang her head on the tea kettle in frustration. 

***

When the tea was finally done Lucca brought the kettle over and sat down next to Marle, who was now thoroughly pleased because she had eventually coaxed out a "detailed report". She probably would have asked Lucca even MORE questions, but was ripped out of that train of thought when Lucca began to ask her something that had been on her mind ever since she had caught sight of everyone in the town square.

"Now I want to know just HOW you all got to this time, since it's supposed to be impossible."

Marle beamed. "Oh, I knew you were gonna ask me that! Well, you see, it's a real long story."

"We've got plenty of time!"

Marle cleared her throat and began the tale. "Well, everyone was really upset when I pushed you into the Gate that night. It WAS for your own good, since the two of you were too bull-headed to do anything for yourselves, but…I kinda caused some problems when I did it. Crono was upset. Your parents were upset. Everyone who knew about the whole thing was even upset."

__

(And you're just realizing that NOW, Marle?)

"So what did my parents think when they learned that I was pushed into a portal with an arrogant, psychotic wizard who enjoys summoning parasitic aliens for recreation?" Lucca managed to question with a straight face. She had been DYING to know this, about what her parents would think, practically ever since she had gotten married. After all, Magus wasn't your normal son-in-law…

"Oh, they don't know about that part…yet. They just know about the time traveling thing. Well anyway, your dad especially was upset and right away began to work with Crono and me to find a loophole around the Gates. He said that there had to be a way to work around the whole space-time contra-thingy so we could find you and get you back. I told him that by the time we found you you probably WOULDN'T even want to come back, but…he said that we should at least try to find you."

"Yeah…AND?"

"And so he started by trying to fix up the Epoch. I remember THAT took forever. We'd been looking at it for about six months when he realized that the part that broke was one that couldn't be fixed unless we went to the future. So THEN we had to find another way." She paused and glugged her tea noisily.

"AND?"

"So then he moved the Telepod back to the Fairgrounds where it belonged and tried to make the same conditions as when I disappeared for the first time. We used my Pendant and everything. He also made another kind of Gate Key that actually CREATES the Gates instead of popping them out, as long as the area is at the same place where a Gate was before. All of that took about ANOTHER year and a half, but then it finally worked. Me and Crono went directly to the other times, got the rest of our friends, and then we all came out in the cave on Earthbound Island."

Lucca was a little awed. It seemed so far-fetched, yet everything seemed to fit… "So now we can travel wherever we want? I can come back and visit you guys?"

"We-ell, first your Dad has to make another Key and then we have to deliver it to you. And the whole trip here actually takes about two weeks, since we have to hop around in other times…but yeah, I guess we're not separated anymore."

"Thank the Lord," Lucca breathed. "It WOULD be nice go back to my time and see everybody. And go somewhere where you can actually tan in the summer." She stared at one white arm ruefully. 

Noticing that Marle was gagging a little bit at the bitterness of the tea (if that constipated look on her face was any indication) Lucca headed up to the cupboard to bring over some more sugar. On her way back, however, she noticed that her breakfast excursion of weirdness (a.k.a. the now almost liquefied mess of bread and peaches) was still sitting on the middle of the table. Her stomach almost turned at the sight of it, but she tried to inconspicuously pick it up and carry it away without Marle noticing (she didn't want questions asked).

No such luck.

"Lucca, what IS that?" she asked curiously as she propped her feet on another chair. "I'd almost say it's bread, but…Can bread be a liquid?"

"In this case, yes," said Lucca testily, throwing it in the garbage and out of sight. "It's bread and peaches, if you MUST know…"

"Ohhhhh…" But she started staring at Lucca as if she had grown a third arm or something.

"I don't know why I ate it myself, but I don't see what's so fascinating about it! You and Magus…you both are interested in the weirdest things!" She turned around and headed back to her seat. 

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" Marle insisted. "But I really DON'T think that Magus and I are interested in it for the same reasons. Um…so have you had any other strange, um, combos…lately?"

Lucca sighed in resignation. Marle was SUCH an annoying, interfering busybody. Even more than she had remembered. "Well, _I _don't know," she said testily, shooting a sidelong glare at her empty-headed friend. "I don't exactly monitor what I eat, but I remember Magus moaning and groaning the other day about me crumbling up some crackers and putting them in milk. You would have thought it was the end of the world!"

"But Lucca…that is- that IS kinda gross."

Glaring at Marle again, Lucca got up and started to collect the cups so she could perhaps finish the dishes before everyone got back, but--- but something happened. Suddenly such a full-blown wave of nausea again overtook her yet again that she turned a violent shade of purple and doubled over. 

"Dammit!" she moaned, shuffling back to her seat sideways. "Not again!"

Marle was staring at her curiously. "Whaddaya MEAN, again? What's going on?"

"I'm-I'm SICK!" Lucca wailed, holding her stomach in a very lame attempt to keep herself from blowing chunks all over the place (as if THAT would prevent it if she was going to hurl). "This has happened four times in three days now! I always get this strange feeling…like I'm going to either barf or faint, or even do both at the same time." She buried her head in her hands, praying, just WILLING, for this mysterious illness to go away. Today was NOT the most convenient time for her to be losing her lunch.

  
Luckily she had not been looking up; otherwise she would have seen Marle's eyes become as wide as saucers. "Um--um--Lucca?" she squeaked timidly. "Um---do you always get this about the same time of day?"

It took Lucca a moment to think back. "Uh---yeah, I think so. Always before noon, and mostly right after I get up. But why? Why is that such a big d-"

"Because, Lucca! Because it sounds like you might be pregnant!"

Such a complete and utter silence filled the entire cabin that only the light crackling of the flames in the fireplace could be heard. At the comprehension of this, Lucca's stomach gave such a gravity-defying lurch that for a split second she thought she actually WAS going to barf. She temporarily forgot about her less-than-happy stomach as she proceeded to converse in what could be completely described as inane babble. "Impossible! I can't be pregnant! I CAN'T! No way! No way in hell! I can't! I JUST CAN'T! It's so impossible it's not even funny! It's-"

"It's very possible," said Marle calmly, taking the role as the levelheaded one for once. "I mean, look---you, Magus, cabin, alone, many nights. I'm sure you haven't exactly been celibate out here, you know! You can't fool me!"

"But-but we've been CAREFUL!" Lucca sputtered. "Every time, he casts a spell, and-"

"And don't you think there's a teeny-weeny chance that he might have said a word wrong or something?"

"But-but-"

"But nothing! It all fits! Your cravings, your sickness, everything! And you didn't see me, but I SAW your little conversation with that shopkeeper! Talk about mood swings!"

"That has nothing to do with ANYTHING! I was just MAD because he was overcharging me!"

"But it has EVERYTHING to do with it, Lucca! All of those little things have to be hooked together! Don't you see? YOU nothing about kids. HE knows nothing about kids. The cravings, the mood swings, the morning sickness---everything! And have you-"

Uh oh. She hadn't had THAT either.

Lucca was very unhappy about admitting this, but everything seemed to point to the fact that Marle was right. Damn! Maybe she WAS pregnant… That would explain her sickness and overall mood of late, anyway…

"But I CAN'T be pregnant!" she started up again. "I just CAN'T be! I know NOTHING about raising children!"

Marle grinned impishly. "Looks like you'll have to learn."

"But Marle! I know NOTHING! Absolutely, positively NOTHING! Nada! Zip! Zilch! I've hardly even ever been AROUND kids, much less thought about having one!"

Marle just smiled some more. "Then I guess you'll have to learn, won't you? Oh, and I'd also tell Daddy as soon as possible."

Lucca moaned. "Oh, no! I forgot all about HIM! Oh no, oh no! He's going to be so unconditionally PISSED about this! What do I tell him?! What do I say?! Oh crap, this is such a MESS!" She buried her face in her arms. Yes, the thought of someone calling Magus "Daddy" was indeed very laughable, but, well…this just wasn't funny. At all.

Marle shrugged. "Just tell him he'll be hearing the pitter-patter of little feet in about nine months. Well, less than nine months, I guess, it's probably been awhile, but…Oh, Lucca, this is so EXCITING!"

"Exciting?" Lucca commented dryly. "This is more like complete and utter hell."

"But just think!" Marle insisted eagerly. "You'll have your very own child---part him and part you!'

Lucca rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly comforting, Marle. If my kid is half me and half Magus, he'll probably end up to be a arrogant, argumentive snob with sight impairment. Throw in Magus's magic and he's ALREADY got a third arm!"

"Oh, don't be so negative, Lucca! It makes you age faster! But just think! We've got so much preparing to do!! We'll need toys, and blankets, and clothes… Oh, and little pink baby booties!!! Little pink baby booties!! It'll be sooooo cute! And guess what---when he gets older he can call me Auntie Marle! _Auntie Marle_!" She squealed at the very thought.

This was too much for Lucca. She buried her head in her hands and began to choke out uncontrollable, broken sobs.

***

Darkness had fallen over the barren, snow-covered wasteland. The stars would have been out and the moon would have been full (if it could have been seen), but neither was apparent, as, as Magus had predicted, an all-in-out blizzard had decided to commence. Right now if you looked out the window you could see nothing but one big blur. The wind howled viciously like a wild animal, not letting up for even a second. It was, as Lucca recalled, a lot like that one event, now over two years ago, in that cave in that unknown time where she had been stranded with Magus after their first fight. She almost wished she was back there, sadly enough. Rather that than tell him she was pregnant, at any rate. 

She was sitting in the corner talking with Marle, Robo, Glenn, and Ayla. HE, on the other hand, was in the opposite corner, talking so quietly with Crono (whom he actually halfway liked) that she couldn't even tell what their subject matter was. She gave him a furtive glance to try and see if he was in a good mood or was suspecting something, but his expression was blank. At seeing her stare he looked up, blinked, and gave her a curious look, but she quickly looked away.

Crap. That had been the third time he had caught her now.

She couldn't figure out how the hell to tell him. She knew that it would have to be done straightaway, as eventually there would soon be blatantly obvious things that not even the most intelligent person could hide, but… This was going to be tough.

From what she knew about him (and her knowledge of her husband was evergrowing, despite his reserved manner), she knew that he probably would not even CONSIDER having children if given the choice. She even remembered the time she told him about her childhood dream, which was to open up a large orphanage with lots of little boys and girls. His reply to that (and this had only been half-jokingly) was that if she ever even thought of it, she'd be sleeping on the porch right along with the kids. Damn him anyway. But dark wizards that destroyed things weren't exactly bent on making children, though, were they?

Not that she didn't want children now, though. She had ALWAYS wanted kids, a little boy and a little girl, practically ever since she had been able to walk. It was just that considering the circumstances (for example, being the walking, breathing stereotype of a geek), she thought she'd never even be happily married. She had just never thought out stuff like this when she should have. 

Argh!! This was so frustrating! She even was most likely able to pinpoint the night it had happened. She and Magus were in another one of their ridiculously long rows (about something so stupid that she couldn't even remember what it was), and as you all know by now, the more they argue, the more…intense they become. One thing led to another, and- and… The next morning they were STILL fighting, and because of THAT, well, they might have forgotten to do something along the way.

Knowing that the current situation was at the moment out of her control (and also that she'd better keep an ear out, as Marle was prone to "slip" about big things like this), Lucca tuned out her nervous thoughts and went back to the conversation at hand. 

"So at present you have no rubble, or ruins, or even barren wasteland in your time period?" Glenn was asking Robo, who was telling all about his new life in the future. 

Robo beeped for about a half second before answering. "The future completely changed when we defeated Lavos. The domes are now fully operational and robots are not at odds with humans. Because we wiped out Lavos and any possible spawn in 1999 A.D., the world did not decay any further than the point in which it did up until that time."

"Wow!" squealed Marle. "I'll have to come visit you guys sometime! The future must be really neat!"

Glenn gave a sidelong glance at Lucca, his sensitive nature picking up something that was just not usual with her. "What is wrong, lass? You're not being yourself today at all."

Lucca found herself stuttering to try and make up an excuse. "Er---I dunno. I -um- didn't even know I was acting oddly."

Glenn gave her another strange look and began to open his mouth to say something, but suddenly Crono, for once Lucca's savior instead of her annoying hindrance, decided to get up and look out the window. "Gawd, it looks terrible out there," he said slowly. "Looks like we're stuck here for awhile. How long do these blizzards last out here, anyway?" He turned back towards Magus.

Magus rolled his eyes in his usual manner. "I have no idea," he replied dryly. To tell the truth, at this moment he wanted to DIE rather than be trapped in his own home with no company except for a bunch of simpletons (excluding Lucca, of course). However, it looked to be that that was exactly what was going to come to pass.

"Oh, be nice already!" Lucca scolded him. "He asked you a question, so exercise your almost non-existent social skills and answer him!"

"Oh, all right, all right. It's only the second snow of the season, so I suppose it shouldn't last longer than two days. Are you all satisfied now?!"

Lucca glared at him. "Geez…"

"Wow, Lucca!" Marle exclaimed. "Only two years and you've already got him whipped!"

This caused everyone to laugh and also for Magus to look even more chagrined. "Would you care to repeat that, princess?" he said in his "I'm about this close to killing you" tone.

Marle turned bright red. "Eeeep! Um---no."

Lucca decided that this whole conversation was getting nowhere (not to mention it was almost midnight and she was better off getting Magus alone and telling him rather now than later), so she drained the last of her coffee, stood up, and announced, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to bed. I've got everything ready for as best I can in the spare room, so when you're all tired you can just go there. And YOU," she added, pointing at Magus as she stood in the doorway. "Get your ass to bed at a decent hour." She then left the room.

But she knew he WOULD be coming soon anyway, she reflected as she got undressed. He couldn't stand being in the same room with Glenn for very long, at any rate, especially now that he was human again. Supposedly the curse that he had put on him was supposed to be permanent or something or other, and the fact that Glenn had changed back recently meant that the caster hadn't done a good enough job in the first place. Personally, SHE was happy for him finally being able to have a normal life and a decent place in society, but as for Magus, well…grudges with him were forever. 

She sat in bed, trying to rehearse over and over in her head a good way to tell him about her current state. But damn, it was hard. What was she supposed to say, anyway? Just "Hey, honey, looks like you're gonna be a daddy soon"? Or would she have to be more serious about it? Dammit, she hadn't exactly had EXPERIENCE with this before.

She jumped a mile when the door suddenly opened about five minutes later and Magus shuffled in, looking like he was thoroughly sick of company in any way, shape, or form (or perhaps was he trying not to show that he had been enjoying it? It was always a psychological battle when it came to figuring out Magus). 

Lucca knew that it was time. "Would you shut the door behind you, please?" she asked him demurely, hoping that he would just do it and shut up.

Rolling his eyes and managing to look puzzled at the same time, he shut the door behind him and then quickly walked up to the bedside. "All right, what is wrong NOW?!" he questioned, putting his hands on his hips. "You have been acting strangely all day. Actually, for the past few days, but…that's beside the point. Now I wish to have an explanation and I wish to have it NOW."

Lucca gulped. He even looked sort of mad. Damn! She hadn't been prepared for this, that he might actually already suspect something! Damn! Everything that she had rehearsed, everything that she had been thinking to say, suddenly vanished like socks in a dryer. 

And the first thing that had registered in her brain was the first thing that popped out of her mouth.

"Er---Magus, um, I'm pregnant."

Magus scoffed, "Oh, and how am I supposed to believe THAT?! Now would you mind not stalling the inevitable and tell me the TRUTH already?!"

"Um, but that IS the truth," Lucca said, albeit a little shakily. "I AM pregnant."

At this point Magus suddenly realized that she was NOT kidding about this, and his eyes widened to twice their usual size. Slowly sitting down on the bed to perhaps absorb the shock, he turned around and choked out, "But- but HOW?"

Lucca shook her head. "I don't know! I really don't know! But all the signs are there!"

"I can't believe this…" He trailed off slowly, staring down at the floor.

"Neither can I…"

"I know nothing about children!"

"So do I! I'm gonna be a terrible mother…"

"Well, what about me?! I'm going to be a terrible father."

"Then we'll both be terrible parents."

He sighed. "It's not that I haven't toyed with the idea of having children---it's just that- I don't know. What with the things that I've done…the very idea of me caring for someone so young and helpless should be preposterous."

"Oh, would you let GO of that already?! Some of that wasn't your fault! You just did it to survive!"

"Hmpfh!"

"Well, you did! You would LIKE us to think that you're so terribly evil and bad, but you're really not! Admit it, you actually WANT this kid, don't you?" She shoved him playfully.

He smirked. "Well, what about YOU, four-eyes? Honestly, you are the LAST person, and I mean the LAST, that I should think WOULD even WANT to be hauling a couple of screaming brats in tow. Except for me, of course."

"And just think: soon you'll have somebody calling you Daddy!"

"Oh God, I can just see this already…" He moaned, lying down and pulling the covers close. "But honestly, I am in need of sleep at the moment," he added, looking at her intensely. "We'll sort everything out in the morning." _(And hopefully get rid of those damn guests,) _he did not add.

"Sounds great to me," Lucca yawned, suddenly feeling very sleepy. "Good night, then, you stupid moron."

"Good night then…four-eyes." He blew out the candle.

As she spooned up against Magus, nuzzling her head against the crook of his neck, only one small thought crossed her tired but happy mind.

What the hell would she tell the others?

Author's Note: Whew! There it ends! Finally! I've been waiting for this day! *Sobs uncontrollably*

Well anyway, I've got a few notes before I pack up here. First of all, after reading that epilogue I'm not even SURE if you want a sequel anymore, but…at most I'll say I'll try very, very hard for one. Look for it around Christmas. If you thought this fic was insane, then you should hear about the strange ideas I'm throwing around for the sequel. But as I said, I can't guarantee anything one hundred percent. There's something I've been itching to write for about a month now, and I absolutely MUST get it out of my system. (And no, it's not the Sin and Lavos slash.)

And I would really REALLY like to thank all of you for either reading or reviewing (especially reviewing). Those reviews in the first five chapters or so were especially important; they made me decide whether I wanted to continue or not or even if my fic was worth writing. I guess it was… And I'd also really like to thank all the other LuMa authors out there. Your stories are all terrific and I'm still having fun reading them now :D! Chrono Trigger was definitely the right category to start posting in, there's not all of the badfic, Mary-Sueisms, or overused plots that run rampant in bigger categories, like, say, Harry Potter or DBZ. 

Well, I shall leave with one last thing to say: review me! PLEEASSSE?! I'm especially curious this time about what everyone thought about the epilogue or if that was even the right way to go about ending it. So…what did everyone think? I'm sure that wasn't exactly your normal ending… 

Well, see ya! As I said, I hope to be out with the sequel sometime around Christmas!


End file.
